Arizona Woman, Blocked From City Council, Runs for VP

Was disqualified for not speaking English
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 12, 2012 12:28 PM CDT
Arizona Woman, Blocked From City Council, Runs for VP
In this January, 2012 photo, Alejandrina Cabrera, who is barred from running for city council because she isn't fluent in English, left, testifies in court in Yuma, Ariz.   (AP Photo/Bajo del Sol, Cesar Neyoy)

When Alejandrina Cabrera tried to run for San Luis City Council, she was kicked off the ballot because she couldn't speak, read, or write English fluently. So now she's running for a slightly higher office: vice president of the United States. Cabrera has signed on with Utopian Party presidential candidate Avery Ayers, the Arizona Republic reports. While the Arizona constitution requires candidates to be literate in English, the US Constitution has no such limitations.

Ayers admits it's a bit unorthodox to have a woman who's never successfully run for office before as his running mate, but he says he's confident in the pick. "A lot of politicians speak one thing and don't deliver," he says. "At least with Ms. Cabrera, [people] can relate to the words that come out of her mouth." Ayers first offered the spot to Cabrera in May, but he had to translate his platform into Spanish before she would accept. (More Avery Ayers stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X