Language Officer Information

Language Officers are election officers, who in addition to performing all regular officer duties, may also assist voters in a language other than English.

Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act generally requires jurisdictions to provide language assistance to voters if more than 5% of voting-age citizens are members of a single-language minority group. In Fairfax County, we always assign Language Officers for Spanish, Vietnamese, and Korean in needed precincts.

To qualify as a Language Officer, an individual must pass an oral language skills assessment. We then assign Language Officers to precincts based on US Census data and voter feedback. About one-third of our precincts are assigned at least one Language Officer.

Additional notes:


Language Officer Referral Bonus

We offer a language officer referral bonus for two languages: Vietnamese and Korean.

If you are a new or existing officer and refer someone who successfully serves as a Language Officer in one of these languages, you are eligible to receive a $25 bonus stipend.

The new Language Officer receives the standard election officer stipend of $250.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE THE REFERRAL BONUS?

WHEN IS THE REFERRAL BONUS PAID?

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE REFERRAL BONUS TO BE EARNED?

The referring officer must…

The new Language Officer must…

WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF WHY A BONUS IS NOT EARNED AND PAID?


If you have any questions regarding the referral bonus program, contact us at ElectionOfficers@fairfaxcounty.gov or 703-324-4735 (8:00 AM – 4:30 PM).