BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1443
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB
1443 (Chau)
As Amended August 17, 2015
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |74-0 |(May 22, 2015) |SENATE: |38-0 |(August 27, |
| | | | | |2015) |
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Original Committee Reference: E. & R.
SUMMARY: Requires the Secretary of State (SOS) to establish a
Language Accessibility Advisory Committee (LAAC), as specified.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the SOS to establish a LAAC.
2)Requires the LAAC to consist of the SOS and his or her
designee or designees and additional members appointed by the
SOS.
3)Requires the appointees to either have demonstrated language
accessibility experience or be a county elections official.
4)Requires the SOS to consult with and consider the
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recommendations of the committee.
5)Requires the committee to serve in an advisory capacity to the
SOS.
The Senate amendments:
1)Require the LAAC to meet no less than four times each calendar
year.
2)Require the LAAC to consist of no less than 15 members.
3)Clarify that the LAAC appointees have to demonstrate language
accessibility experience, have knowledge of presenting
election materials to voters using plain language methods or
another method that is easy for voters to access and
understand, or be a county elections official or his or her
designee.
4)Require at least three county elections officials to be
appointed to the LAAC.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Declares the intent of the Legislature that
non-English-speaking citizens, like other citizens, should be
encouraged to vote and that appropriate efforts should be made
to minimize obstacles to voting by citizens who lack
sufficient skill in English to vote without assistance.
2)Requires the SOS, by January 1 of each year in which the
Governor is elected, to determine the precincts where three
percent or more of the voting age residents are members of a
single language minority and lack sufficient skills in English
to vote without assistance. For each specified precinct in
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their county, elections officials are required to do the
following:
a) Translate a facsimile ballot and related instructions in
the specified language(s); and,
b) Post the translation(s) in a conspicuous location in the
appropriate polling place.
3)Requires elections officials to make reasonable efforts to
recruit election officials who are fluent in a language if
three percent or more of the voting age residents in any
precinct are fluent in that language and lack sufficient skill
in English to vote without assistance.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.
COMMENTS: According to the author, "Nearly 16 million
California voters receive materials in a variety of required
primary languages such as Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese,
Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese. Language
accessible elections materials may include registration forms,
voting notices, voting instructions, ballots, sample ballots,
polling place notices, and voter information pamphlets. AB 1443
establishes in the Office of the Secretary of State a committee
of appointed specialists to advise state and local elections
officials on best practices to address language accessibility
needs of voters."
The Senate amendments require the LAAC to meet not less than
four times each calendar year, to consist of not less than 15
members, and to require at least three county elections
officials to be appointed to the committee. In addition, the
Senate amendments clarify that appointees must have demonstrated
language accessibility experience, have knowledge of presenting
election materials to voters using plain language methods or
another method that is easy for voters to access and understand,
or a county elections official or his or her designee.
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This bill, as amended in the Senate, is consistent with the
Assembly actions.
Analysis Prepared by:
Nichole Becker / E. & R. / (916) 319-2094 FN:
0001455