Asian Americans Make Progress in Fight for Bilingual Ballot: BOSTON - The struggle to make elections accessible to all residents of Boston, Massachusetts moved forward after the Boston City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to extend fully bilingual ballots to Asian American voters in the city.
The council approved a new home rule petition introduced by Boston City Councilor Sam Yoon. It must now be signed by the mayor and approved by the state legislature.
'The community has won the first round,' Councilor Yoon said. 'There is still more to do. The state legislature must act to ensure elderly Asian American citizens will be able to participate in our elections,' he said.
The measure approved Wednesday addresses objections raised by Secretary of State William Galvin to an earlier measure.
Earlier this year, Councilor Sam Yoon sponsored a similar home-rule petition to allow bilingual ballots in the City of Boston. After unanimous approval by the City Council and Mayor Menino, the petition stalled in the State House. The session ended before the legislature could act on it.
