Saturday, October 11, 2008
The General Assembly is not in session.
Tracking Virginia’s General Assembly
since 2007.
HB228: Election materials and ballots; county, city, or town may provide in non-English translations.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Article 1 of Chapter 1 of Title 24.2 a section numbered 24.2-101.1 as follows:
§ 24.2-101.1. Materials and ballots in non-English translations.
A. The electoral board of any county, city, or town may provide elections materials and ballots in non-English translations.
B. On and after July 1, 2007, a covered county, city, or town shall provide elections materials and ballots in non-English translations. By January 1, 2007, the State Board of Elections shall provide a list of covered counties, cities, and towns based on available United States Census data and other available information and on the following criteria: (i) more than 3% of the citizens of voting age of the county, city, or town, are members of a single language minority and are limited English proficient; or (ii) more than 5,000 citizens of voting age of a county, city, or town are members of a single language minority and are limited English proficient; and (iii) the illiteracy rate of the citizens in the language minority as a group is higher that the national illiteracy rate.
C. Whenever any covered county, city, or town 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.
D. As used in this section:
"Voting materials" means registration or voting notices, forms, instructions, assistance, or other materials or information relating to the electoral process, including ballots.
"Limited-English proficient" means unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process.
"Citizens" means citizens of the United States.
"Illiteracy" means the failure to complete the 5th primary grade.
Additional Data
Explanation
This is the actual text of the bill — the legislation itself. Generally this is amending existing law, proposing the addition or removal of words from laws that are already on the books.
Words that are highlighted in yellow are
proposed additions, and words that are crossed out in
red are proposed removals.
The numbers with the § symbol before them are references to existing laws, and if you click on them they’ll take you to that part of the law on the state's website.