Pawtucket, Justice Department reach agreement in voting discrimination claims

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WLNE) — The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division entered an agreement with the City of Pawtucket to settle a voting rights lawsuit.

United States Attorney Zachary Cunha said the lawsuit alleged that Pawtucket failed to provide election assistance and materials in Spanish for Spanish-speaking voters with limited English proficiency, which certain jurisdictions are required to provide.

The lawsuit also alleged that Pawtucket and city election officials refused to allow individuals who were qualified to cast a provisional ballot to do so, and failed to train and instruct poll workers accurately and adequately regarding the requirements for provisional ballots.

Cunha said the proposed agreement would require the city and Board of Canvassers to provide all election-related information in both English and Spanish, ensure that in-person language assistance is available at all early voting sites and at each election precinct with at least 100 Spanish-surnamed registered voters, and to provide specific training for poll workers, including for provisional ballot requirements.

Mayor Donald Grebien released the following statement regarding the order:

When I first ran for Mayor in 2010, I was proud to win the support of many of Pawtucket’s Latino community leaders. I pledged that my administration would embrace and support our city’s Latino population. And that’s exactly what I have done and will continue to do.

I am also incredibly proud to see that today many of our City Council and General Assembly members are Latinos.

I share all of this because as Mayor, I’ve worked hard to support our Latino residents and Latino candidates for office as well as our other populations.

That is why I was surprised to receive notice that the U.S. Department of Justice has alleged recent violations of the Voting Rights Act against the Board of Canvassers regarding lack of providing our Latino residents with Spanish language materials and accurate voting information at the polls.

While I disagree with these allegations, to avoid protracted and expensive litigation, we have entered into this consent order with the Department of Justice. Not only was this the right thing to do, but it also ensures that we will continue to protect the best interests of all residents.

Working with our Board of Canvassers, City Registrar, and the Board of Elections, we will be implementing all elements of the consent order as quickly as possible. That is because we are just a few short months away from federal, state, and city primary elections on September 10th, and the General Election on November 5th.

I am committed to going above and beyond this consent order to ensure that all Pawtucket residents, including our Spanish speaking voters, have the information they need to exercise their right to vote.

The full agreement can be read here.