Overview

• Bengali is the only Indian language included on New York's 2024 presidential election ballots, alongside Chinese, Spanish, and Korean.
• The inclusion of Bengali is a legal requirement under city regulations to provide language support to Bengali-speaking voters.
• This decision stems from a 1965 Voting Rights Act provision mandating language assistance for minority groups.
• The Bengali-speaking population in New York includes residents from both India and Bangladesh, highlighting the community's significant presence.
• Community leaders emphasize that Bengali ballots will improve voter participation and representation among South Asian minorities.