Georgia Voters Indicate Strong Support for Official English Amendment

71 percent favor Constitutional Amendment to enact official English

71 percent of registered voters in Georgia favor amending the Georgia Constitution to make English the official language of the state, according to a poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. The strong degree of support was noted across all regions of Georgia, as well as among Democrats, Republicans and Independents. The poll of 625 registered voters was conducted July 24-26, 2007 and has a margin of error of plus or minus four percent.

"The economic opportunities available in Georgia have turned the Peach State into a twenty-first century immigrant gateway for newcomers to the United States," said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board of U.S. English, Inc. "As with any state that experiences an influx of non-English speakers, government must take affirmative steps to promote assimilation and English learning. Otherwise, immigrants will come to depend on government multilingualism as a permanent crutch."

During the 2007 legislative session, Georgia Rep. Tim Bearden introduced a measure to strengthen the state's existing official English law. As passed unanimously by a legislative subcommittee, the amendment to the state Constitution would declare English the state's official language and require the overwhelming majority of state activities be conducted in English, with exceptions for areas such as public health, judicial proceedings, and foreign language instruction. The bill provided that final approval of the statute be conducted through a general ballot initiative.

"According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of limited English proficient persons living in Georgia has quadrupled over the last 15 years," added Mujica. "Without a strong focus on English learning, Georgia is destined to become a state of two distinct factions — those who speak English and can succeed and those who are unable to speak English and cannot. I look forward to working with Georgia legislators to enact a measure that will ensure that all Georgians move forward under our common bond of English."