The Republican National Committee (RNC) has launched Bank Your Vote websites in 16 languages across all 50 states ahead of the upcoming primary elections.
The websites allow users to securely cast their votes via the internet by setting up a bank account with a third-party provider. Republican primaries are scheduled to begin in February 2021.
The websites are offered in English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Korean, German, French, Portuguese, Italian, Arabic, Russian, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Japanese, Hindi, and the Navajo and Yupik languages. They cover all 56 major cultural languages spoken by more Americans than any other language.
The websites provide citizens with the ability to securely cast their ballots online in the privacy of their own homes. Unicode translations of each language are available for compatibility with ballots cast in-person.
The RNC hopes that the free and secure service will enable citizens from all backgrounds to virtually cast their ballots, and combat any potential voter suppression attempts.
The sites also provide information on voting procedures, timelines, resources for those with disabilities, assistance for those who require language or cultural assistance, election monitoring and voting rights information. The sites are linked to the RNC’s voting information portal.