Today Nashville Metro Councilman Eric Crafton submitted more than 5,000 signed petitions to the city clerk’s office calling for a special election on making English the official language of Nashville.
The number was more than twice the 2,500 signatures of registered voters needed to qualify a charter amendment for a January special-election ballot. In August Crafton turned in more than 12,400 signatures in an effort to qualify a similar referendum for the November election. But the Nashville Elections Commission ruled the petition was three days short of meeting the requirement that referendums can be submitted only “once every two years” in the Nashville charter.
A low voter turnout in a recent general election reduced the number of signatures Crafton needed to qualify the new petition. Like most other local official English laws, Crafton’s charter amendment makes English the official language of Nashville but has exceptions for complying with state and federal law and to protect public health and safety.
