ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A federal judge has ordered the state to help some Alaska Native language speakers understand their ballots.

U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason ruled Wednesday in the Voting Rights Act lawsuit. Alaska Native voters had argued the state's voting materials in both Yup'ik and Gwich'in were inaccurately translated and poorly distributed, KTUU reported. The lawsuit covered three census areas of Alaska, and the plaintiffs argued the state violated both the federal Voting Acts Right and the U.S. Constitution.

The lawsuit was filed more than a year ago by Yup'ik speakers Mike Toyukuk of Manokotak and Fred Augustine of Alakanuk, as well as the Hooper Bay and Togiak tribal councils. The lawsuit, which was heard over nine days earlier this summer, alleged that state elections workers broke federal law and suppressed voter turnout by failing to provide language assistance.

One example was a ballot initiative seeking parental support for a minor to receive an abortion. Critics maintained the Yup'ik translation of the initiative asked voters if they approved of parental consent of pregnancy.

“I didn't understand any of the ballots but I still voted,” Augustine told the Native American Rights Fund, which backed the lawsuit. “We go to vote and vote, but we don't know what to do and how to vote.”

The state Department of Law says in a statement that Alaska already provides translators and bilingual outreach and poll workers in both languages. Both are historically unwritten languages, the state says, and the Voting Rights Act only requires oral language assistance. Gleason's ruling on Wednesday didn't address constitutional claims, state lawyers said.

Gleason gave the state until Friday to say what changes could be made before the Nov. 4 general election.

The Department of Law said in its statement that it “will work with the Division of Elections on coming up with that proposal. With a little over 60 days left before Election Day, the proposal will focus on what can be done in the limited amount of time remaining.”

“Though we are disappointed with the court's ruling, we will work expeditiously to comply with it and with any additional measures that may be forthcoming in the court's written opinion,” Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, who oversees elections in the state, said in a statement.

“In the meantime, Alaska's native and non-native voters need to know that the Division of Elections is committed to ballot access. We will continue to work with Alaska Native leaders and others to improve, and I view today's decision as an opportunity to expand our efforts,” Treadwell said.

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Information from: KTUU-TV, http://www.ktuu.com