Why election information is in English and Spanish

In 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act (VRA) to break down barriers to voting. In order for minority language groups to be included and to effectively participate in the electoral process, the VRA requires certain states and counties to conduct elections in the languages protected by the VRA.

Based on the requirements of Section 203 of the VRA, Yakima County provides all election information in English and Spanish. This has been a federal requirement for our county since 2002.

All voting materials including candidate information and legal notices and active voter outreach to our Spanish-speaking community are important components to ensure compliance with Section 203 of the VRA.

Learn more about the 2010 Census Information for Yakima County

Learn more about the Department of Justice - Voting Section

Read Yakima County's Consent Decree with the Department of Justice

Washington State Glossary of Spanish Election Terminology


To ensure that translations are consistent among counties needing to provide election information in Spanish, the Secretary of State's Office along with other bilingual Washington counties (including Yakima) developed a statewide glossary to assist counties in their translations.

Yakima County uses this glossary when translating election information:

Washington State Elections Glossary - English/Spanish
Washington State Elections Glossary Instructions

Bilingual E-News


In an effort to keep our community informed with the latest election information, a bilingual electronic newsletter is sent out on a quarterly basis.

Send us an email if you are interested in receiving this information.