- Slug: News21-Fractured-Language Barriers. 2,655 words. Note: An abridged version of 1,447 words is also available.
- With audio story and 9 photos.
Note to CN clients: This story includes Arizona material.
By Celia Frazier
News21
LAS VEGAS – In the heart of Las Vegas’ Chinatown, residents gather for a celebration of the annual Dragon Boat Festival. Some stop in to grab shiny, red packages of premade zongzi.
Others grab flyers decorated with a colorful dragon boat and something else: a QR code taking them to information about how to vote – all translated into Chinese. As demographics shift, advocates from Nevada and Arizona to Alaska are fighting to make voting accessible for citizens who speak different languages. But challenges remain – from the cost of translating materials to outright resistance to the idea.