Metro Atlanta's DeKalb County first to offer Spanish and Korean language voter materials - AJC

Note from DIS: Basic English language skills are required for naturalization and only U.S. citizens can legally vote.

By Zachary Hansen,

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

DeKalb County released voting materials and resources in Korean and Spanish on Thursday, making it the first Georgia county to do so voluntarily, officials said.

In partnership with Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta, Georgia’s third most populous county translated sample ballots, frequently asked questions about voting, absentee ballot guides and drop box location maps into both languages.

“It’s a historic win for advocates working across and in the intersection of immigrants and voting rights,” Stephanie Cho, executive director of the nonpartisan nonprofit group, said during a Thursday news conference.

Gwinnett County was the only county to previously offer voting information in another language —Spanish. It’s required to under federal law due to its high percentage of Spanish-speaking residents. No sample ballots in Georgia have ever been officially translated into Korean, Cho said.

* Explore Judge dismisses request for more Spanish ballot access in Georgia

According to the most recent Census data, roughly 6.3% of DeKalb’s population identifies as Asian, while 8.6% of the population is Hispanic. The Census does not have data on the percentage of DeKalb’s population that primarily speaks a language other than English. Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta estimates that percentage to be more than a third of the Hispanic community and nearly half of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in Georgia.

Read the rest here from the AJC.

The below open records request to TCSG is pasted in reverse order – my original ORR is on the bottom., most recent reply on top.

D.A. King,

Thank you for your patience, D.A., and for taking the time to submit your Open Records Request. Pursuant to subparagraph (b)(I)(A) of O.C.G.A. 50-18-71, we are responding in a reasonable timeframe. You have requested copies of SAVE affidavits, applications, and Secure and Verifiable ID documents collected from specified employer participants in the apprenticeship program.

At this time, the requested records do not exist. The awarded companies were recently announced, and we are in the initial stages of the contracting process. This process includes the hiring of apprentices, submission of required documentation, and the verification of information prior to contracts to be drafted and executed.

It is anticipated that the requested records may become available by late February or early March. It would be best to submit a new request at that time to obtain the information.

Should you have any additional questions or require further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

When submitting future requests, use our ORR portal: Legal Services – TCSG | Technical College System of Georgia

Kind regards,

Leigh Keever

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Leigh Keever, M.A.

Policy Coordinator

Office of Legal Services

Technical College System of Georgia

1800 Century Place, NE, Ste. 400

Atlanta, GA 30345

404-679-4971–office

lkeever@tcsg.edu |www.TCSG.edu

_________________

From: D. A. King <dk
Sent: Tuesday, December 3, 2024 11:32 AM
To: Keever, Leigh <lkeever@tcsg.edu>
Subject: Re: ORR

CAUTION:This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.

Thank you.

dak

Sent from my iPhone

_________

On Dec 3, 2024, at 11:28 AM, Keever, Leigh <lkeever@tcsg.edu> wrote:

Mr. King,

Thank you for contacting the TCSG with your Open Records Act request. Pursuant to subparagraph (b)(I)(A) of O.C.G.A. 50-18-71 we wanted to notify you that the breadth of acquiring the requested data will take longer than the 3-day period. We anticipate having the documents you are requesting to you no later than Friday the 13^th of December.

We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Kind regards,

Leigh Keever

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Leigh Keever, M.A.

Policy Coordinator

Office of Legal Services

Technical College System of Georgia

1800 Century Place, NE, Ste. 400

Atlanta, GA 30345

404-679-4971–office

lkeever@tcsg.edu |www.TCSG.edu

___________________

From: D.A. King <>
Sent: Monday, December 2, 2024 10:15 AM
To: Keever, Leigh <lkeever@tcsg.edu>; D’Alessio, Mark <MDAlessio@tcsg.edu>
Subject: ORR

Please regard this email as my official open record request for copies of documents pertaining to compliance with OCGA 50-36-1 in the HDAP Apprenticeship Program.

Please send me copies of SAVE affidavits, applications, and Secure and Verifiable ID collected from the below employer participants in the apprenticeship program. I understand that there may be some redaction.

5 Points Electrical

Ace Electric Inc.

All & Everything LLC

Ascendum Machinery Inc

B & W Mechanical Contractors, Inc.

Bargeron Electric Company LLC

Caterpillar BCP, Inc.

Croy Electrical Inc.

Silver Sheet Metal

Delta Plumbing Inc.

Thank you,

D.A. King.