Under existing law, each voting system used by a county or city is required to provide voting materials in English and every language in which voting materials are required to be prepared pursuant to federal law. (52 U.S.C. § 10503; NRS 293.2699) Section 5 of this bill requires the Secretary of State to ensure that voting materials and other elections information are posted or made available at a polling place or on certain Internet websites in certain languages. Section 5 further requires the Secretary of State, on or before January 1 of each odd-numbered year, to review certain data on persons who are members of a minority group and are of limited-English proficiency in the State. Based on the review of such data, section 5 requires the Secretary of State and certain county and city clerks, under certain circumstances, to ensure that voting materials and other information are provided in certain other languages. Sections 13-15, 17-19, 21, 22 and 28-31 of this bill make changes to require that certain information and voting materials be made available in such languages. Section 42 of this bill requires the Secretary of State to review such data in sufficient time for information and voting materials to be made available for the 2026 General Election. Sections 2-4 of this bill, respectively, define the terms “limited-English proficiency,” “minority group” and “voting materials.” Section 11 of this bill applies these definitions to the provisions of existing law relating to elections. Section 6 of this bill requires the Secretary of State and authorizes a county clerk to establish a toll-free telephone number which may be used by any person to receive language interpretation or assistance with translation relating to an election. Sections 7, 17-19, 21, 25, 29 and 30 of this bill require that each polling place, sample ballot and Internet website of the Secretary of State or county or city clerk, as applicable, include the toll-free telephone number. Section 8 of this bill requires the Secretary of State to include on all forms for an application to preregister or register to vote certain language authorizing a person who preregisters or registers to vote to request a sample ballot in a language other than English. Under existing law, each county and city clerk is required to appoint registered voters to act as election board officers for the various polling places in the county or city, as applicable. (NRS 293.217, 293C.220) Sections 12 and 27 of this bill require the county or city clerk to make a good faith effort to appoint election board officers who are bilingual. Existing law provides that, with certain exceptions, any registered voter who by reason of a physical disability or an inability to read or write English is unable to mark a ballot or use any voting device without assistance is entitled to assistance from a consenting person of his or her own choice. (NRS 293.296) Section 16 of this bill provides that a registered voter with a physical disability may also use a mobile device to access interpretive services to assist him or her in casting a vote in an election. Such interpretive services include, without limitation, interpretive services using American Sign Language. Under existing law, the Secretary of State is required to prescribe forms for applications to preregister or register to vote. (NRS 293.507) Section 20 of this bill requires the Secretary of State to include on each such application a line on which an applicant may enter voluntarily the applicant's state or country of birth and language preference. Section 23 of this bill requires such information to be included on the statewide voter registration list, if it is provided by the applicant. Under existing law, the Secretary of State is required to establish a user-friendly system on the Internet website of the Office of the Secretary of State to allow persons by computer to preregister and register to vote, cancel such preregistration or registration, update such preregistration or registration and determine at what polling place or places he or she is entitled to vote. (NRS 293.671) Section 22 requires the system to also be accessible in each language in which the Secretary of State is required to provide information and voting materials pursuant to section 5. Section 24 of this bill provides that if the mechanical voting system used in a county or city is capable of providing a registered voter's ballot in the preferred language of the voter other than English, the county or city clerk, as applicable, shall ensure that the list of offices and candidates and the statement of ballot measures for which the voter is entitled to vote is in that preferred language. Section 37 of this bill creates the Language Access Advisory Committee within the Office of the Secretary of State, consisting of the Secretary of State or his or her designee, and certain other members. Sections 35 and 36 of this bill define “Advisory Committee” and “language access programs” for the purposes of sections 34-39 of this bill. Section 38 requires the Advisory Committee to: (1) identify certain programs and services that address language accessibility of elections and voting materials; (2) coordinate with community organizations to determine needs relating to language accessibility of elections and voting materials; (3) act as a liaison between the Office of the Secretary of State and community organizations; (4) make certain annual assessments relating to language accessibility programs and services; and (5) make certain recommendations to the Office of the Secretary of State relating to such programs and services. Section 39 sets forth certain requirements for meetings of the Advisory Committee. Section 41 of this bill: (1) requires the Secretary of State to appoint the initial members of the Advisory Committee before January 1, 2026; and (2) staggers the terms of the initial members. Sections 5 and 40 of this bill require that the cost of ensuring that voting materials and other elections information are posted or made available at a polling place in certain languages be paid from the Reserve for Statutory Contingency Account. Existing law authorizes, under certain circumstances, the governing body of a city to conduct a city election in which all ballots must be cast by mail. If such an election is conducted, certain existing provisions of law relating to early voting do not apply to the election. (NRS 293C.112) Section 26 of this bill provides that the provisions of section 25 also do not apply to such a city election. Section 32 of this bill makes a conforming change to make the provisions of section 7 apply to a presidential preference primary election.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 293.010, 293.217, 293.2549, 293.2699, 293.269911, 293.296, 293.3025, 293.4687, 293.4689, 293.507, 293.565, 293.671, 293.675, 293C.112, 293C.220, 293C.263, 293C.530, 293C.715, 293D.200, 298.700, 353.264
BDR: 293.010, 293.217, 293.2549, 293.2699, 293.269911, 293.296, 293.3025, 293.4687, 293.4689, 293.507, 293.565, 293.671, 293.675, 293C.112, 293C.220, 293C.263, 293C.530, 293C.715, 293D.200, 298.700, 353.264