Revises provisions governing elections. (BDR 24-821)
AN ACT relating to elections; requiring, under certain circumstances, the Secretary of State, county clerks and city clerks to ensure that voting materials and certain other elections information are posted on certain Internet websites and made available in certain languages; requiring the Secretary of State to establish a toll-free telephone number which may be used for a person to receive language interpretation or translation assistance relating to an election; requiring such telephone number to be posted at each polling place and on certain Internet websites and included on sample ballots; requiring the Secretary of State to include certain information related to a registered voter's preferred language on an application to register to vote; requiring county and city clerks to make a good faith effort to appoint election board officers who are bilingual; revising the information relating to registered voters that is required to be included on the statewide voter registration list; requiring, under certain circumstances, a mechanical voting system to list offices, candidates and ballot measures in a voter's preferred language; creating and setting forth the membership and duties of the Language Access Advisory Committee; making an appropriation to the Office of the Secretary of State for certain expenses relating to language access and the establishment of a toll-free telephone number; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.
This bill, AB246A, proposes several updates to how elections are managed, with a focus on improving language access for voters. It would require voting materials and election information to be available in multiple languages and posted online. The Secretary of State would need to establish a toll-free number for language assistance, which must be available at polling places and online. Additionally, county and city clerks would be encouraged to appoint bilingual election officers.
The bill would impact voters, election officials, and the Secretary of State's office by making voting more accessible for non-English speakers. This includes providing materials and assistance in multiple languages and ensuring that voting systems can list candidates and measures in a voter's preferred language.
As of February 6, 2025, the bill failed in the Assembly and was not considered further. The most recent action was on February 3, 2025, when the bill was returned from the Secretary of State and made a special order for consideration on February 6, 2025, but no further action was taken.
