San Luis, AZ (written by Richard Ruelas/Arizona Republic) -- A would-be candidate for San Luis City Council, who was kicked off the ballot for not speaking enough English, is seeking a higher office: vice president of the United States.
Alejandrina Cabrera has accepted the invitation to be the running mate of Utopian Party presidential candidate Avery Ayers, a Houston-based leader of a nonprofit group.
Ayers expected to name Cabrera his vice president in May, but Cabrera demurred until she read his platform. She said the documents needed to be translated into Spanish for her to peruse.
Ayers, who founded the Utopian Party in 2009, said he thought Cabrera was treated unfairly over her English skills. He said he can understand her English just fine.
Ayers liked that Cabrera was not a typical political figure, having been booted from the ballot in San Luis in what would have been her first campaign.
"A lot of politicians speak one thing and don't deliver," Ayers said during a phone interview. "At least with Ms. Cabrera, (people) can relate to the words that come out of her mouth."
City officials took Cabrera's candidacy to court in January, responding to a resident's complaint that she didn't read, speak and write English, as required under the state's constitution.
A judge kicked her off the ballot, and the ruling was upheld in February by the Arizona Supreme Court.
There is no such literacy requirement for the nation's second-highest office.