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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Tim Schultz
April 8, 1998
202/833-0100
800/787-8216

POLL SHOWS MARYLAND VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORT
ENGLISH AS STATE’S OFFICIAL LANGUAGE

A poll of registered voters in Maryland shows that they favor making English the official language of the state by a margin of better than three to one. Seventy-three percent of respondents favored official English legislation, while only 21% were opposed. The survey was taken April 2-5, 1998. The poll was commissioned by U.S.ENGLISH, Inc., and conducted by Mason-Dixon Political/Media Research, Inc. of Columbia, Maryland.

On March 23 the Maryland House of Delegates passed a bill to designate English as the official language of Maryland. The 76-59 vote in favor was bipartisan, with 35 Democrats and 41 Republicans joining together to vote for the legislation. The Senate is now considering the legislation.

"This poll shows that the Maryland House of Delegates is carrying out the will of the people," said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board/CEO of U.S.ENGLISH. "Now the Senate must respond by passing this important legislation, and the Governor SHOULD sign it."

The poll found overwhelming support across the political spectrum. Official English is favored by 68% of Democrats, 76% of Independents, and 83% of Republicans.

If Maryland were to make English its official language, it would become the twenty-fourth state to do so. The Maryland legislature passed official English legislation in 1995, but Governor Parris Glendening vetoed it.

Making English the official language of the state would mean that most government actions and documents would be in the English language, with common-sense exceptions such as public health and safety information, the needs of the justice system, and international trade and tourism. There would be no restriction on what language people could use in any non-government setting.

U.S.ENGLISH is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting English as the common language of the United States. The group was founded in 1983 by the late Senator S.I. Hayakawa of California, and now has over 24,000 thousand members in Maryland and over 1.3 million members nationwide.

The poll of 803 registered voters was conducted by Mason-Dixon Political/Media Research, Inc. on April 2-5, 1998, with a margin of error of ± 3.5%.

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