I went to vote this morning, at a new polling place.  I was directed to the polling place by a sign that was in both Spanish and English.  When I was handed the ballot, I saw that it, too, was in both Spanish and English, with both languages appearing together in a confusing jumble.

Why are there bilingual ballots?  Why isn’t a knowledge of English a requirement for voting?  And how can we ever possibly hope to assimilate millions of Spanish-speakers if we don’t require them to learn English in order to participate in civic life?