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Census: 13 Florida Counties Must Offer Ballots In Spanish

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ORLANDO (CBSMiami/AP) — A shift in demographics is forcing a change at the polls in more than a dozen counties in Florida.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that 13 Florida counties must provide ballots and other materials in Spanish as part of federal voting-rights law.

The law requires elections offices to provide language assistance in places where more than 5 percent of the voting age population isn't fluent in English.

The Florida counties given the designation are in South Florida, metro Tampa, metro Orlando and agricultural areas of south-central Florida.

They are Broward, DeSoto, Hardee, Hendry, Hillsborough, Lee, Miami-Dade, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk and Seminole.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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