Expanding the VOTE Act

This bill aims to make voting easier for people who speak languages other than English. It updates the rules to say “voting materials” include both printed and digital items like ballots, notices, forms, and instructions, and makes clear that if a state gives materials to a local area that must offer translations, the state must follow the translation rules too . The Attorney General must also alert communities that are close to meeting the translation requirement so they know they may soon need to provide language help .

It adds special options for American Indian and Alaska Native languages. If a Tribal government says its language is unwritten or doesn’t want written translations, officials can provide oral help instead. Still, with Tribal consent, election workers must get written translations to keep oral help accurate and consistent . The bill creates $15 million in grants to help states and localities offer voting materials in additional languages, even when they aren’t already required to do so. If a place takes a grant, it promises to keep offering those materials in future elections unless the group’s population drops by at least 0.5%. They can’t get multiple grants for the same language group . It also orders a federal study on whether to lower the population thresholds that trigger translation requirements and whether to include more language groups, such as Arabic and French/Haitian Creole, with a report due within one year .

Key points

• Who is affected: Voters who speak languages other than English; election officials at state and local levels; American Indian and Alaska Native communities .
• What changes: Clearer definition of voting materials (includes digital); early notice to areas near the threshold; options for oral help for unwritten Tribal languages; required written guides for poll workers; grants to add more translated materials; commitment to keep providing them after taking a grant; no duplicate grants for the same group .
• When: Grants become available once enacted; the federal study report is due within one year of enactment .