22 апреля 2026 г.
Before New Yorkers turned out in record numbers last year, a group of Chinese Brooklyn residents listened intently to a voting rights seminar at a Bensonhurst Community Center. Audience members answered questions about civic participation in Cantonese. With eyes on canvas tote bags and hands on translated voter guides, locals competed for NYC Votes-branded prizes to reward their civic knowledge. Though many had already registered to vote, the community members gathered to learn more about available language resources and accessibility at the polls.
The collaboration between NYC Votes and this community organization offers a glimpse into a city overflowing with linguistic diversity, home to 3.8 million New Yorkers, out of 8 million, who speak a language other than English at home, with over 700 languages spoken every day. And every single one deserves the opportunity to vote in their language and access to reliable voting information.
The collaboration between NYC Votes and this community organization offers a glimpse into a city overflowing with linguistic diversity, home to 3.8 million New Yorkers, out of 8 million, who speak a language other than English at home, with over 700 languages spoken every day. And every single one deserves the opportunity to vote in their language and access to reliable voting information.
In the United States, there is currently no language requirement to vote, and the language you speak does not impact voter eligibility among U.S. citizens. NYC Votes is addressing this need by leading with multilingual initiatives for all New Yorkers. When language access opens the voting doors to more people, their votes accurately represent their communities.
When language access opens the voting doors to more people, their votes accurately represent their communities.
This year, there will be a statewide election for Governor, which is the same office that created the New York State Office of Language Access. Since 2022, the state of New York has required oral interpreters at state-funded agencies and distributed translations of informational voter documents. To help more New Yorkers understand how to vote, city governmental agencies must comply with state and citywide regulations.
As part of that compliance, the Campaign Finance Board (CFB, the agency that leads the NYC Votes initiative) follows the mandates of key legislation. The Voting Rights Act and Local Law 48 are the language access laws that directly impact NYC Votes’ voter education efforts. Local Law 30 requires NYC’s government agencies to appoint a Language Access Coordinator, develop a Language Access Implementation Plan (LAIP), provide language services (translation and interpretation), offer free interpretation services in designated languages to the public, train staff on language access protocols, report data, and make complaints.
Santiago Torres, the agency’s first Director of Language Access, has always been passionate about language equality, a passion that began with interpreting for his mother at a young age. Like many New Yorkers, interpreting necessary information for loved ones was not his job, but a part of his daily life and the way he navigated the world. With that experience in mind and considering all New Yorkers who share a connection to language, Torres developed a Language Access Implementation Plan in 2024 for the CFB, which outlines the agency’s goals to expand access for all voters, campaigns, and contributors. Immigrant voters, such as new Americans and those with limited English proficiency, made up 16.4% of NYC’s voters in 2024. In the public plan, Torres explains that some neighborhoods with the lowest voter turnout tend to be populated by New Yorkers who primarily speak a language other than English.
To address this systemic inequality, NYC Votes coordinates with multilingual community partners to bring all New Yorkers to the polls. To reach all communities, NYC Votes collaborates with organizations like Homecrest Community Services, the Bensonhurst partner organization mentioned above, which serves Cantonese-speaking communities in South Brooklyn. The Implementation Plan turns these goals into reality by outlining steps to tailor outreach efforts and future initiatives to voters’ needs.
While Torres leads the strategic changes across the agency, Tenzin Yangkyi’s detailed work breathes life into his visions. Fluent in three languages, learning two, and an aspiring polyglot, Tenzin credits her love of languages to her own experiences immigrating to and from multilingual environments as a teen. She aims to help create translated materials that are high-quality, carefully crafted, and customized for the communities they are meant for. She believes that “living in a multilingual city is not a barrier but a means to build connection and a gateway to different worldviews and different perspectives.”
Living in a multilingual city is not a barrier but a means to build connection and a gateway to different worldviews and different perspectives.
As the Language Services Manager, Yangkyi focuses on translating voter resources and expanding language services to share quality voter information and civic engagement materials that resonate and help build trust with the community. With the support of specialists like Karla Matute Parini, the in-house Spanish linguist, the team follows an intentional process to translate materials. They use a database of past human translations, industry tools, and best practices to improve efficiency and ensure consistency. If you’re reading this in your language, this article was translated by a team of humans, not AI.
Thanks to the Language Access team’s work, NYC Votes’ voter guide is available in 13 languages, including Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (simplified and traditional), French, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Korean, Polish, Spanish, Russian, Urdu, and Punjabi. If you’re interested in running for office in NYC, you can check out the NYC Campaign Finance Board’s Candidate Services Guidance, a campaign resource available in 11 languages, ensuring that both candidates and voters have a fair shot at participating in our democracy.
Torres points to the city itself as an influence on how we speak our languages. In paying mind to these complexities, he says, “language is not just communication, it’s a cultural exchange. There are nuances in language, and experiences come from that.”
Language is not just communication, it’s a cultural exchange. There are nuances in language, and experiences come from that.
Yangkyi also notes how local communities can speak the same languages differently, observing that “We can see this within Spanish spoken specifically in NYC, Chinese dialects, or a distinct Russian enclave”.
Continuing the team’s momentum towards growth, Torres aims to double the team’s current size and include language fluency assessments for new employees. By promoting linguistic diversity, more of us can communicate with each other. And that communication is expanding: the agency is adding 33 new languages to its written translation services, opening access to 46 languages on a case-by-case basis. Voters can also access spoken and over-the-phone interpretation services in over 100 languages, including American Sign Language. For more resources on free language services at NYC government agencies, refer to the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.
The Language Access team aspires to embed linguistic awareness in all that it does, from the beginning until the end of every project, with the public and behind the scenes. Looking ahead, Torres shares, “the ideal goal is when content stops being Arabic content, or Bangla content, or Spanish content, it’s just content.”
We want to increase voter turnout. But at the same time, we also want [New Yorkers] to understand that there is a place for them.
One important reminder connected to this sentiment: in any election, you have the right to bring voter guides in your preferred language to the polls. You may also bring an interpreter, whether you choose a friend, family member, or poll worker, to ensure you cast your vote accurately. As an eligible voter, you also have the right to safety: no one can intimidate you without a warrant.
When all New Yorkers can vote without barriers, we can elect a government that represents us and meets our communities’ needs. With the ballots as our canvases, our multilingual voices can color the vibrant city we all call home.