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Nashville Voters Reject English Amendment
Measure Defeated 41,752 To 32,144
POSTED: 3:22 pm CST January 21,
2009
UPDATED: 5:09 am CST January 23,
2009
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Voters in Davidson County rejected a measure on Thursday that would have made English the official language of Nashville.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, the measure was defeated on a vote of 41,752 to 32,144.Voters decided on two amendments in the special election held Thursday.A second measure would have decided whether or not to make it easier for amendments to be up for public vote. That amendment failed as well, with 45,453 voting against the measure and 26,903 voting for it.The Election Commission described Thursday's overall turnout as light.For months, Council member Eric Crafton battled with Davidson County officials about the legality of allowing residents to vote on the English language referendum and on what date.If the measure had passed, Nashville would have become the largest U.S. city to make English the mandatory language for all government business.The long-term effects of passage were unclear because the measure would allow the city council to make exceptions for public safety and health.Crafton argued that requiring one language was an orderly way to unite the city of more than half a million people.Opponents contend the proposal would have driven businesses, tourists and potentially millions of dollars in federal grants away from a city known for its Southern hospitality.Business executives, academics, Gov. Phil Bredesen and even Nashville Mayor Karl Dean called for the amendment's defeat. Nashville's documented translation expenses have totaled $522,287 since 2004. By comparison, the special election cost $300,000.Thirty states, including Tennessee, and at least a dozen cities have declared English their official language, said K.C. McAlpin, executive director of Arlington, Va.-based ProEnglish, which donated money to support the referendum.About 10 percent of Nashville's nearly 600,000 people speak a language other than English in their homes, according to census data. The city is 5 percent Hispanic and home to the nation's largest Kurdish community and refugees from Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Popular Slideshows On WSMV.com: Slideshow: Red-Hot Redheaded Celebrity Women Slideshow: Celebrities Commit Fashion Faux Pas Slideshow: 'Dukes Of Hazzard' Stars: Where Are They Now? Slideshow: Inauguration Day Celebrity Sightings
| Related: Full Coverage | ELECTION RESULTS | Amendment Fails | Mayor Applauds Measure's Defeat | |
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