Signed by Governor Ralph Northam

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with senate amendments and pass a bill that requires voting and election materials to be in languages other than English for immigrant and Native American citizens.

Highlights:

• Requires the State Board of Elections to prescribe voting and election materials in languages other than English for use by a county, city, or town (Sec. 1).

• Defines “voting and election materials” as registration or voting notices, forms, and instructions (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes the State Board to make voting and election materials available in any additional languages as it deems necessary and appropriates (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes the State Board to accept voting and election materials translated by volunteers after verifying the accuracy of such translations prior to making the translated materials available to a voter (Sec. 1).

• Requires a covered locality to provide voting or election materials in the language of the applicable minority group as well as in English (Sec. 1).

• Requires the State Board to designate a county, city, or town as a covered locality if it determines, in consultation with the Director of the Census and based on 2010 Census Survey data, that either (Sec. 1):

• More than 5 percent of the citizens of voting age of such county, city, or town are members of a single-language minority and are unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process; 

• More than 10,000 of the citizens of voting age of are members of a single-language minority and are unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in in the electoral process; or

• In the case of a county, city, or town containing all or any part of a Native American reservation, more than 5 percent of the Native American citizens of voting age are members of a single-language minority and unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process and the illiteracy rate as a group is higher than the national illiteracy rate.

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to amend and pass a bill that requires voting and election materials to be in languages other than English for immigrant and Native American citizens.

Highlights:

• Requires the State Board of Elections to prescribe voting and election materials in languages other than English for use by a county, city, or town (Sec. 1).

• Defines “voting and election materials” as registration or voting notices, forms, and instructions (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes the State Board to make voting and election materials available in any additional languages as it deems necessary and appropriates (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes the State Board to accept voting and election materials translated by volunteers after verifying the accuracy of such translations prior to making the translated materials available to a voter (Sec. 1).

• Requires a covered locality to provide voting or election materials in the language of the applicable minority group as well as in English (Sec. 1).

• Requires the State Board to designate a county, city, or town as a covered locality if it determines, in consultation with the Director of the Census and based on 2010 Census Survey data, that either (Sec. 1):

• More than 5 percent of the citizens of voting age of such county, city, or town are members of a single-language minority and are unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process; 

• More than 10,000 of the citizens of voting age of are members of a single-language minority and are unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in in the electoral process; or

• In the case of a county, city, or town containing all or any part of a Native American reservation, more than 5 percent of the Native American citizens of voting age are members of a single-language minority and unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process and the illiteracy rate as a group is higher than the national illiteracy rate.

Full Bill Text