Voters make English the official language in Arizona

November 9, 2006

On November 7, Arizona voters officially made English the state's language. They overwhelmingly supported a measure that also calls on local governments to promote its pre-eminence.

The ballot initiative passed with 74 percent of the vote. The question’s language includes exemptions for "areas where foreign language use is protected," including emergency medical services.

"English is essential to the promise of equal opportunity in America," said K.C. McAlpin, executive director of ProEnglish, a Virginia-based group that supports making English the official language of the United States.  With the passage of Proposition 103, Arizona joins 28 other states, including California and Texas, and 52 nations that have designated English as their official language.

Despite the initiative’s overwhelming support, the executive vice president of Chicanos Por La Causa, an Arizona-based nonprofit community-development corporation, said its passage sends a bad message to immigrants trying to assimilate. "It makes me very fearful of what the future holds because I think that this may potentially send out a message that it's OK to continue to bash immigrants," said Lorraine Lee.

Arizona voters narrowly passed a similar measure in 1988, 50 percent to 49 percent. Its language called for all official government business to be conducted in English, and it was struck down unanimously by the state Supreme Court because it interfered with access to government.

McAlpin said he was confident that the latest measure addressed the court's concerns and would be upheld. It does call on state and local government to limit use of dual language in printed material for circulation.

Polling conducted before election day showed that about 50 percent of Hispanic voters supported Proposition 103 and two other measures that called on denying illegal aliens access to bail and punitive damages in legal proceedings. Those measures also passed.

Passage of a another ballot measure that calls for denying illegal aliens access to adult education and in-state college tuition rates was opposed by 66 percent of Hispanics.

A Zogby poll commissioned by ProEnglish last year found that 84 percent of Americans supported making English the official language. "English is our national language. It's time for Congress to follow the example of Arizona and 27 other states and declare English the official language of the United States," said McAlpin.

According to 2000 U.S. Census data, 16.3 percent of the population -- more than 41.6 million people -- do not speak English.