We’re glad to know that San Benito County elections officials
have learned the meaning of servicio. It’s Spanish for service
– something Spanish-speaking voters here weren’t getting much of
not so long ago.
We’re glad to know that San Benito County elections officials have learned the meaning of servicio. It’s Spanish for service – something Spanish-speaking voters here weren’t getting much of not so long ago.
In 2004, the federal Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the county, alleging that the county was in violation of the Help America Vote Act and the Voting Rights Act.
The suit said the county elections department was not providing enough bilingual poll workers, Spanish-language election materials and necessary information about provisional ballots.
The lawsuit was resolved when the feds and the county agreed on a consent decree that required the county to correct the problems and the Department of Justice to monitor all local elections.
Thirty months later, the feds have allowed that consent decree to expire and commended the county for its “impressive and laudable progress.”
Complaints about the county’s treatment of Spanish-speaking voters were originally voiced by the local chapter of the League of Latin American Citizens.
LULAC president Mickie Luna said many Spanish-speaking citizens in San Benito County gave up on voting because of the lack of bilingual support and cultural sensitivity.
But Luna recently told the Free Lance she was pleased by the recent changes. “We’re happy with how things have gone so far, but we will continue to monitor.”
That’s a good thing, for Spanish-speaking voters and for the county elections department as well.
And based on what we’ve heard from and about the county’s new chief of elections, Joe Paul Gonzalez, we’re confident the progress and inclusiveness will continue.
In a recent interview with the Free Lance, Gonzalez – who was elected in June and installed Monday as San Benito County clerk, auditor and recorder – cited improved service and increased transparency in the election department as his top priorities in his new job.
That’s exactly what we and the people of San Benito County are expecting from him.
“The more transparent government is, the more confident citizens of the community will be,” Gonzalez said.
The 49-year-old Hollister native and former city councilman also noted, “I came from a small business background, where profit is the motivation. But in government, service is what we strive for. If we’re not here to serve, we’re just taking up space.”
We like that attitude. If Gonzalez lives up to his word about openness and service to all the voters of San Benito County, past problems with the elections department will remain in the past.
