ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Two Alaska election officials testifying in a Native voting rights trial say they work hard to help Native language speakers.
Becka Baker, election supervisor for the Nome region, testified in Anchorage Tuesday that election personnel do their best in recruiting bilingual outreach workers.
The Anchorage Daily News says Baker is among four defendants in the federal lawsuit filed by the Native American Rights Fund on behalf of several Native villages and elders. The plaintiffs say the state has failed to provide complete translations of voting materials into Native languages.
The state contends its program meets legal requirements.
Also testifying Tuesday was Shelly Growden, the state’s election systems manager. She said teaching workers their part-time, short-term jobs isn’t always successful and noted that poll workers don’t always attend mandatory training.
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