Nearly Four-in-Five Kansas Voters Approve Official English Policy for State

77 percent of likely voters in Kansas support making English the official language of the state, according to a recent poll by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. The survey, which comes after both gubernatorial candidates have expressed interest in the proposal, found that the overwhelming majority of Sunflower State residents want the state to conduct business in English, including strong majorities within each political party. The survey of 625 likely voters was conducted Sept. 20-22, 2006 and has a margin of error of plus or minus four percent.

“In a state where the limited English proficient population has doubled since 1990, it is no surprise that residents desire policies that encourage assimilation,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc. “The people of Kansas have a right to expect that their government is working to bring newcomers into the mainstream and putting them on the road to become a successful part of the state’s future. Official English legislation is consistent with that goal.”

Though H.B. 2473, a measure to make English the official language of Kansas, was not considered in the most recent legislative session, common language legislation has become an issue in the 2006 election for Governor. In an August debate, both Democratic governor Kathleen Sebelius and Republican gubernatorial nominee Jim Barnett stated their willingness to support official English legislation if elected to the state’s highest office in November.

Making English the official language of a state calls upon the government to conduct business in English and limit governmental multilingualism to common-sense activities such as health care, public safety, judicial proceedings and tourism. To date, 27 states have English as their official language, and H.R. 997, Congressional legislation promoting this policy at the federal level, has become one of the most widely supported bills in the 109th Congress.

“The problems caused by limited English proficiency are no longer limited to the ‘traditional immigrant states’ of the past,” continued Mujica. “Each day, more and more localities are grappling with the issues caused by a lack of focus on assimilation and English language learning. The results of this poll demonstrate that Kansans want their government to address the matter in the upcoming legislative session.”

U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc. (www.usenglish.org) now has more than 1.8 million members.