Hindi has a special role to play this US presidential election. The language is being used by agencies in Illinois in Chicago to encourage more citizens to exercise their voting rights.
In a bid to reach out to members of the South Asian community in the region, who hail from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Chicago Board of Elections had sought feedback from them on which language they prefer for language assistance.
"The big decision was: which language do we choose to provide language assistance in," Shobhana Johri Verma, Director of South Asian Outreach for the Chicago Board of Elections, told Voice of America.
On the basis of the feedback, Hindi was considered the best option. Reportedly, Hindi is one of the four languages found on election materials in Illinois since 2012.
Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act in the US requires language assistance to voters hailing from minority groups. The groups are identified on the basis of population statistics in the US Census report released in 2011.
The Chicago Board of Elections has indulged in several efforts, including roping in volunteers, to ensure that the provisions of the Act are complied with.
"They (volunteers) were required by federal law to provide language assistance to a very high number of South Asians, mostly Indians, in Chicago," said Verma.
Notably, Chicago is home to the third largest South Asian population in the US.
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