Expanding the Voluntary Opportunities for Translations in Elections Act or the Expanding the VOTE Act
This bill expands access to voting materials for individuals with limited proficiency in the English language.
Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) requires covered states and political subdivisions to provide voting materials and other language assistance to persons who are American Indian, Asian American, Alaskan Natives, or of Spanish heritage and whose ability to speak or understand English limits electoral participation. A state or political subdivision that is subject to Section 203 is prohibited from providing English-only voting materials in an election. Among other requirements, this bill (1) requires the Department of Justice to issue a notice of prohibition, including the trigger threshold at which the prohibition applies, to certain states and political subdivisions; and (2) requires covered states and political subdivisions to provide written translations of all voting materials, with the consent of any applicable tribal government, to election workers.
Additionally, the bill requires the Election Assistance Commission to make incentive grants for states and political subdivisions to provide translated voting materials.
The bill also directs the Government Accountability Office to study and report on the impact of (1) reducing the threshold requirement under Section 203 of the VRA, and (2) expanding the definition of language minorities to include native speakers of additional languages.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2589 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2589
To modify certain notice requirements, to study certain election
requirements, to clarify certain election requirements, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 31, 2025
Mr. Padilla (for himself, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Warren, Mr. Markey, Mr.
Schiff, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Lujan, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms.
Smith, Mr. Kim, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Booker, and
Ms. Hirono) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To modify certain notice requirements, to study certain election
requirements, to clarify certain election requirements, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Expanding the Voluntary
Opportunities for Translations in Elections Act'' or the ``Expanding
the VOTE Act''.
SEC. 2. LANGUAGE MINORITY NOTICE REQUIREMENTS.
Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10503) is
amended--
(1) by amending subsection (b)(3)(A) to read as follows:
``(A) the term `voting materials'--
``(i) means registration or voting notices,
forms, instructions, assistance, or other
materials or information relating to the
electoral process, including ballots; and
``(ii) includes digital and printed
material or information produced relating to
the electoral process;'';
(2) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (g); and
(3) by inserting after subsection (d) the following new
subsections:
``(e) Responsibility of States Providing Voting Materials in
Covered Political Subdivisions.--The prohibition under subsection (b)
shall apply to any State that provides voting materials to a political
subdivision subject to such prohibition.
``(f) Notice.--The Attorney General shall submit a notice of the
prohibition of subsection (b), and the threshold at which such
prohibition applies, to each State or political subdivision that is--
``(1) below the threshold requirement under subclause (II)
of subsection (b)(2)(A)(i) by not more than 1,000; or
``(2) below the threshold requirement under subclause (I)
or (III) of subsection (b)(2)(A)(i) by not more than 0.5
percent.''.
SEC. 3. PROVISIONS RELATED TO AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE
LANGUAGES.
Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10503), as
amended by section 2, is further amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(3)(C), by striking ``1990'' and
inserting ``most recent''; and
(2) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:
``(c) Provision of Voting Materials in the Language of a Minority
Group.--
``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), whenever any
State or political subdivision subject to the prohibition of
subsection (b) provides any registration or voting notices,
forms, instructions, assistance, or other materials or
information relating to the electoral process, including
ballots, it shall provide them in the language of the
applicable minority group as well as in the English language.
``(2) Exceptions.--
``(A) When written american indian and alaska
native translations for voters are not required.--In
the case of a minority group that is American Indian or
Alaska Native, if the Tribal government of that
minority group has notified the Attorney General that
the language is unwritten or the Tribal government does
not want a written translation, a State or political
subdivision subject to the prohibition of subsection
(b) shall only be required to furnish that minority
group, in the covered language, oral instructions,
assistance, translation of voting materials, and other
information relating to registration and voting.
``(B) Other minority groups with unwritten
language.--In the case of a minority group that is not
American Indian or Alaska Native, if the language of
that minority group is unwritten, a State or political
subdivision subject to the prohibition of subsection
(b) shall only be required to furnish that minority
group, in the covered language, oral instructions,
assistance, translation of voting materials, and other
information relating to registration and voting.
``(3) Written translations for election workers.--
Notwithstanding paragraph (2), a State or political division
subject to the prohibition of subsection (b) shall provide
written translations of all voting materials, with the consent
of any applicable Tribal government, to election workers to
ensure that the translations from English to the language of a
minority group are complete, accurate, and uniform.
``(4) Tribal government defined.--In this subsection, the
term `Tribal government' means the recognized governing body of
any Indian or Alaska Native Tribe, band, nation, pueblo,
village, community, component band, or component reservation,
individually identified (including parenthetically) in the list
published most recently as of the date of enactment of the
Expanding the VOTE Act pursuant to section 104 of the Federally
Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131).''.
SEC. 4. GRANTS TO JURISDICTIONS TO INCENTIVIZE THE PROVISION OF VOTING
MATERIALS IN LANGUAGES NOT TRIGGERING SECTION 203
COVERAGE IN APPLYING JURISDICTION.
(a) Availability of Grants.--
(1) In general.--The Election Assistance Commission (in
this section, referred to as the ``Commission'') shall make
incentive grants under subsection (b) to States and political
subdivisions to assist the States and political subdivisions in
providing voting materials during an election cycle in the
language of a covered language minority group.
(2) Application required.--In order to receive a grant
under this section, a State or political subdivision shall
submit to the Commission, at such time and in such form as the
Commission may require, an application containing such
information and assurances as the Commission may require, such
as a plan for the State or political subdivision to engage
stakeholders with a demonstrated experience of serving the
relevant covered language minority group.
(b) Incentive Grants.--
(1) Use of funds.--The Commission shall make an incentive
grant under this subsection to a State or political subdivision
to cover the reasonable costs incurred by the State or
political subdivision in providing voting materials in the
language of a covered language minority group for an election
cycle.
(2) Continuation of provision of materials for groups in
succeeding election cycles.--If a State or political
subdivision receives an incentive grant with respect to a
covered language minority group for an election cycle, the
State or political subdivision will certify to the Commission
that the State or political subdivision will continue to
provide voting materials in the language of that covered
language minority group for each succeeding election cycle
unless the population of the group during the succeeding cycle
has dropped by 0.5 percent or more from the population of the
group during the first election cycle for which the State or
political subdivision received an incentive grant with respect
to the group.
(3) Prohibiting multiple grants for same language minority
group.--If a State or political subdivision receives an
incentive grant with respect to a covered language minority
group, the State or subdivision may not receive another
incentive grant with respect to that same covered language
minority group.
(c) Definitions.--In this section--
(1) the term ``covered language minority group''--
(A) means, with respect to a State or political
subdivision, the members of a single language minority
who do not meet the requirements of clause (i) or (ii)
of section 203(b)(2)(A) of the Voting Rights Act of
1965 (52 U.S.C. 10503(b)(2)(A)); and
(B) includes the language minorities described in
section 203(g) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 10503(g)) and any
other language minority;
(2) the term ``election cycle'' means the period which
begins on the day after the date of a regularly scheduled
general election for Federal office and which ends on the date
of the next regularly scheduled general election for Federal
office;
(3) the term ``State'' means each of the several States,
the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the
United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; and
(4) the term ``voting materials'' has the meaning given
under section 203(b)(3)(A) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52
U.S.C. 10503(b)(3)(A)).
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000, to remain available
until expended.
SEC. 5. STUDY ON CERTAIN LANGUAGE MINORITY NOTICE REQUIREMENTS.
(a) In General.--The Comptroller General of the United States, in
consultation with the Director of the Census, the Attorney General, and
the Election Assistance Commission, shall conduct a study on the impact
of--
(1) reducing the threshold requirement--
(A) under subclause (II) of section 203(b)(2)(A)(i)
of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C.
10503(b)(2)(A)(i)) to 7,500 and 5,000, respectively;
and
(B) under subclause (I) or (III) of section
203(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52
U.S.C. 10503(b)(2)(A)(i)) to 4 percent, 3 percent, 2.5
percent, and 2 percent, respectively; and
(2) expanding the definition of the term ``language
minorities'' to include native speakers of Arabic, French and
Haitian Creole, and any other language that the Comptroller
General determines to be appropriate.
(b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to
Congress a report on the findings of the study conducted under
subsection (a).
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
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