Back in December, Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) requested that the NYC Board of Elections make voter registration forms available in Yiddish. “I am proud to announce that as of today, these forms are now available in Yiddish,” said Assemblyman Hikind.

“There are thousands of Yiddish-speakers in my district and New York State,” said Hikind. In a prior letter to NYC Board of Elections President Michael Michel, Hikind wrote, “Making voter registration forms available in Yiddish will encourage native speakers of the language to register to vote by making the process more comfortable, inviting, and user-friendly.”

Hikind added, “I invite you to take a look at any newsstand near my office, where you will see dozens of Yiddish language newspapers, magazines, and other publications, attesting to the vibrancy and every day usage of the language. As another Election Day draws closer, ballots and other materials generated by the Board of Elections, as well as information on the website, will continue to be displayed only in Bengali, Chinese, Korean, and Spanish. The voter registration handbook was even translated into Russian. But there are no Yiddish voting materials.”

“I applaud Mike Ryan from the NYC Board of Elections and the NYC Council, as well as NYC Council Speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito for making this a reality. Everyone deserves the right to have their voice heard and be able to vote. Now Yiddish speaking constituents can now register with ease,” said the Assemblyman.

“I urge all who have not yet registered to vote, to take the time now, to do so. Applications must be postmarked no later than October 14th and received by a board of elections no later than October 19th to be eligible to vote in the General Election,” said Assemblyman Hikind.

Forms are available at Assemblyman Hikind’s office located at 1310 48th street, 2nd floor, or it can be download online here.

(YWN Desk – NYC)