Union members do not need a certain level of English-language skills to vote. However, unions are required by federal and state laws to provide language assistance to their voting members with limited language skills on their union election platform or in person. These laws are in place to prevent discrimination against groups of voters who may need assistance to participate in the election process.
The type of accommodations required for non-native speakers may be spelled out in the union’s bylaws. If they aren’t, unions still need to abide by sections of the Voting Rights Act that require organizations to provide assistance for overcoming language barriers in union vote participation. Noncompliance with the Voting Rights Act can lead to substantial fines, poor morale among members who feel left out, and damage the union's reputation.
Providing union vote language support to non-native English speakers is not just about complying with the law. Offering this service can boost voter registration and turnout, too.
| Step | Action | Purpose / Benefit |
| 1 | Identify language needs of your union members | Ensure all non-English speakers are accounted for and can participate |
| 2 | Translate election materials – ballots, instructions, candidate info, notices | Make voting accessible and reduce misunderstandings |
| 3 | Assign multilingual staff or interpreters | Provide guidance and answer questions in members’ preferred language |
| 4 | Include language-minority members in planning | Gather feedback to improve outreach and usability of election materials |
| 5 | Leverage digital voting platforms with language support (e.g., ElectionBuddy) | Automatically send communications and ballots in members’ preferred languages |
| 6 | Post-election review | Evaluate what worked and improve processes for the next election |
Accommodating union members who speak other languages adds a layer of complexity to the voting process. The goal is to make them part of the election process from beginning to end by providing support at every step along the way.
This means materials need to be created in languages commonly spoken by the membership to explain voter registration, the issues being considered, information about the candidates, and the where, when, and how to vote. Once the elections are finished, the results need to be shared, as well.
Unions could also benefit from recruiting multilingual members, staff, and professional interpreters to help answer questions from members in different languages. It may also be helpful to include language-minority members in the planning process. Their feedback and advice can help the union raise awareness about elections, ensure that the assistance being provided meets their needs, and publicize the foreign-language resources and services available to members.
After the election, review how well the materials and inclusion efforts worked and make adjustments as needed to improve the voter experience in the next election.
When elections are performed on a reputable platform that includes multilingual features, the burden of translating and coordinating services in different languages is taken off the shoulders of union staff. ElectionBuddy is an encrypted voting platform trusted by nearly 12,000 organizations.
We recently added an Advanced Language Customization feature that unions can use to translate ballot instructions, questions, choices, verification details, confirmation information, and emailed, messaged, or printed notices into more than fifty languages.
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