Majority of Connecticut Voters Support Making English the Official Language

Two-in-three favor bill requiring most government functions to be in English

67 percent of registered voters in Connecticut favor making English the made the official language of the state, according to a poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc., including 51 percent who strongly support such an effort. The survey found that the majority of Connecticut residents want the state to conduct business in English, including majorities within each political party and each section of the state. The survey of 625 likely voters was conducted Feb. 20-22, 2007 and has a margin of error of plus or minus four percent.

“The results in Connecticut show that regardless of what jurisdiction a state borders, the people favor a government that is focused on assimilation and unity,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board of U.S. English, Inc. “This is not an issue particular to a region of the United States, it is a sentiment shared by Americans nationwide. As this poll demonstrates, the people of Connecticut favor policies that benefit residents and newcomers alike, including making English our common language."

State Representative John E. Piscopo has introduced legislation, H.B. 6628, to make English the official language of Connecticut. The bill would require that government conduct most business in English and limit governmental multilingualism to common-sense exceptions such as health care, public safety and judicial proceedings. It would not affect the teaching of foreign languages, or languages spoken in the home, business or workplace.

If the bill is enacted into law, Connecticut would join 28 other states with English as the official language, including Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The most recent of the states to enact official English legislation was Arizona, where almost three-in-four voters approved a Nov. 2006 ballot measure that made English the official language of the state.

“Connecticut residents want to end the trend of government multilingualism, and re-enter the era of unity under one common language,” added Mujica. “I applaud Representative Piscopo and his colleagues for introducing this legislation toward that goal. H.B. 6628 is good public policy that will ensure success for current and future generations, and I look forward to working with the legislature to enact this into law.”

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.