US Election 2024: This Indian language makes it to NYC ballots¡ªand it's not Hindi
As Americans vote on Election Day, New York City ballots now include Bengali, reflecting the growing South Asian community under a federal mandate for better language access. The aim is to boost voter engagement among Bengali-speaking residents, according to the Executive Director of the NYC Board of Elections.
Election Day in the U.S. has arrived¡ªthe traditional first Tuesday in November. As Americans are set to cast their votes and await results expected within hours, there's an intriguing detail for Indians to note - an Indian language has even made it onto some ballots! But if you're guessing Hindi, think again.
As of 2024, over 5.4 million Indians call the U.S. home, with more than 3.3 million of Indian origin.
So, it's no wonder that an Indian language now appears on some ballots.
In New York City, voters for the U.S. presidential election will find ballots available in five languages, including Bengali, alongside English, Chinese, Spanish, and Korean.
According to Michael J. Ryan, Executive Director of the NYC Board of Elections, a legal settlement led to the inclusion of Bengali, following a federal requirement to support minority South Asian voters under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
This step aims to boost voter engagement among Bengali-speaking residents, representing a key South Asian language group, though not covering all languages in the community. Bengali is widely spoken by communities from both India and Bangladesh.
"There was a lawsuit about language access, and as you know the country of India has a lot of different languages within it," explained Ryan. "The settlement of that lawsuit required within a certain population density to have an Asian Indian language. Then through some negotiations, they settled on Bengali."
US Presidential Elections 2024: When will the winner be announced?
Credit: Reuters
In some presidential elections, the winner is announced late on election night or early the next morning.
However, with this year's close race across several key states, media outlets may take longer to project a winner.
Democrat Kamala Harris, the current vice president, and Republican Donald Trump, a former president, have been nearly tied in recent polls for weeks.
The winner will officially take office on Monday, January 20, 2025, during the 60th presidential inauguration at the U.S. Capitol. The new president will take an oath to uphold the Constitution before giving their inaugural speech.
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