75 Percent of Texans Support Making English the Official Language

Statewide poll finds three-in-four residents favor common language legislation

75 percent of likely voters in Texas want English to be made the official language of the state, according to a poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc., including 52 percent who strongly support such an effort. The survey found that the overwhelming majority of Texas residents want the state to conduct business in English, including strong majorities within each political party and each section of the state. The survey of 625 likely voters was conducted Sept. 23-25, 2006 and has a margin of error of plus or minus four percent.

“The results from Texas demonstrate that support for official English is not about the number of immigrants, but about the widely-held belief that immigrants should be on the road to becoming Americans,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc. “Even in a diverse state, residents have a reasonable expectation that immigrants who have found the state so hospitable to their needs will return the favor and make an effort to learn the English language.”

Nearly one-in-seven Texans is limited English proficient, ranking the Lone Star State second in this category, behind only California. Though Texas has not considered an official English bill in recent years, there are many in the state who believe the government would be served encouraging assimilation and unity.

Making English the official language of a state calls upon the government to conduct business in English and limit governmental multilingualism to common-sense exceptions 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.

“When three-in-four residents of your state can agree on an issue, that issue deserves serious consideration in the legislature,” added Mujica. “While Texans always have and always will be proud of their history, they also want to ensure that English continues to be the link between the state’s diverse residents. I look forward to working with legislators in the upcoming session to enact official English legislation that reflects the desire of the people.”

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.