Bengali is also known as Bangla, and people from Bangladesh are commonly referred to as Bengali in Hamtramck.<\/span><\/p>\n Hamtramck City Clerk Augu<\/span>st Gitschlag t<\/span>old Outlier Media Bengali ballots have been requested twice in the past seven years. \u201cWe have had Bengali ballots for over a decade, it\u2019s nothing new to our residents. We post them all over the precincts and City Hall,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As of 2019 Bangladeshis make up 24.3 percent of the city\u2019s residents, according to Dylan Siwicki of the PIAST Institute, a Census data center.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Gitschlag said the presence of Bengali ballots comes up more during local elections. \u201cI know the City Council members who are Bengali talk about it in their organizations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The city\u2019s website does not have sample ballots in English or Bengali, nor information on how to request a Bengali ballot. \u201cWe always defer to the State when it comes to posting ballot information,\u201d he said. He says Bengali ballots have not been requested for this election.<\/span><\/p>\n Shafiq Bari, vice president of entrepreneurship and business of the Bangladeshi American Public Affairs Committee (BAPAC) said the Bengali ballots came about as a result of the Census 2010 which documented the significant population of Bangladeshis in Hamtramck.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s an achievement for our community… [we] demonstrated we have sufficient volume on Census records,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n BAPAC is a nonpartisan nonprofit group which educates Bangladeshi Americans about their rights and responsibilities in the U.S. \u201cVoting is about access. We felt there is a population that would be helped if there is a ballot in Bengali.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Bari said while having the ballots is progress, \u201cthe quality of the translation is very important.\u201d Others prefer English ballots. \u201cOur role is to make people be aware and let them pick the best option for them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He says the next phase is to make people more aware about the Bengali ballots and learn why people are not using it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Muhith Mahmud, President of the Michigan\u2019s Bangladeshi American Democratic Caucus (MIBADC), said many Bangladeshis are unaware of ballots being available in Bengali. MIBADC works to inform Hamtramck and metro Detroit communities about candidates across the state, now via Zoom during the pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n MIBADC works to inform Hamtramck and metro Detroit communities about candidates across the state, now via Zoom during the pandemic. <\/em><\/p>\n He said while many Bangladeshis read and write in English, newer residents may better understand information to make informed decisions in their native language. For example, MIBADC recently distributed 1,000 flyers that were passed out at mosques, grocery stores and businesses to educate voters about the Biden-Harris campaign.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe have done tremendous work in the last few months. We tiredly came up with why we should vote in Bangla and English,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He said earlier this year Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson\u2019s office met with community leaders to discuss making ballots language accessible for communities with large minority populations. He was unaware the ballots were printed and ready for this election, and at the time of the interview said he had not seen information about how to request Bengali ballots on the city\u2019s website or announced publicly.<\/span><\/p>\n Hamtramck City Councilmember Nayeem Choudhury said many people prefer to use interpreter services as the Bengali ballots are hard to understand in conversational Bengali. Choudhury said people are accustomed to rely on their family and friends during elections. \u201cMy father\u2019s generation would ask us to help explain the ballots to them,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hamtramck City Councilmember Nayeem Choudhury<\/em><\/p>\n Even for well-read Bangladeshis, the ballots\u2019 language\u00a0 represents legal writing, making it difficult for people to understand what\u2019s at stake.<\/span><\/p>\n Gitschlag said there will be 25 Bengali ballots for each of the seven precincts, which will be represented at four locations during the upcoming election. He said the city will rely on 21 Bengali speaking (and seven Yemeni Arabic speaking) election poll workers to provide language services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Rebeka Islam is the executive director of Asian Pacific Islander American Vote MI (APIA-VOTE MI), a grassroots nonprofit organization which aims to increase civic engagement and mobilize voters. APIA-VOTE MI has been working in Hamtramck since 2007.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n APIA-VOTE MI made 50,000 phone calls across Michigan and hosted educational seminars to inform voters about the election. (Photo Courtesy of Rebeka Islam.)<\/p>\n Islam said, \u201clanguage is often a barrier to individuals attempting to participate in the voting process,\u201d particularly when it comes to candidates and how their positions may affect people.<\/span><\/p>\n She said Michigan\u2019s Bangladeshi population is between 30,000 to 100,000. \u201cWhile this information isn\u2019t documented, based on what I\u2019ve seen I\u2019d estimate there is one Bangla translator per 10 English translators,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n About 30-40 volunteers interpret information in multiple Asian languages. Volunteers monitor election polls, and conduct poll surveys at five locations. With elections during COVID this year, extra precautions will be taken for the health and safety of election workers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n APIA-VOTE MI sent home mailers across Michigan, translated in Bengali or Bangla early this month. They are also providing sample ballots, educational seminars, a forum with city clerks, ads, and have made 50,000 phone calls since October 2020 to Asian American Pacific Islanders.<\/span><\/p>\n Along with interpreters at the election polls, MIBADC\u2019s Mahmud and Nazmul Hassan (Shahin), chairman of the board and founder, said they can provide election day rides or help, by calling: Mahmud: 248-238-9242 or Hassan: 734-262-1323.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Voters can also take their own interpreter with them to the election poll beside an employer or agent of the voter\u2019s union, according to Voter Rights.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/10\/BADCCampaigning2-225x300.png\")
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