Justice Dept. settles with New Jersey county over ballot languages, highlighting widespread barrier

By AYANNA ALEXANDER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has reached a settlement with a New Jersey county over language barriers for Spanish-speaking voters, emphasizing a growing challenge for certain minority communities nationwide. The agreement with Union County comes after federal prosecutors filed a lawsuit alleging it failed to make registration and voting notices, forms, instructions and ballots available in Spanish. That violated sections of the federal Voting Rights Act. Voter advocacy and immigrant rights groups say New Jersey is one of several places across the U.S. where language barriers hamper access to the ballot for minority communities.