BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON
ELECTIONS AND CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
Senator Ben Allen, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: SB 366 Hearing Date: 4/7/15
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|Author: |Nguyen |
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|Version: |2/24/15 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |No |
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|Consultant:|Frances Tibon Estoista |
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Subject: Ballot materials: translations
DIGEST
This bill would expand the group of acceptable translators of
election materials to include persons appearing on the Judicial
Council's Master List, persons qualified by the Administrative
Office of the United States Courts, persons from an institution
accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency
recognized by the United States Secretary of Education, and
members of certain professional organizations.
ANALYSIS
Existing law:
1. Requires an elections official to send to each voter,
together with the sample ballot, a voter's pamphlet which
contains the written statements of each candidate as
prescribed in statute. The elections official is required to
provide a Spanish translation to those candidates who wish to
have one, and shall select a person to provide that
translation from the list of approved Spanish language
translators and interpreters of the superior court of the
county or from an institution accredited by the Western
Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
2. Provides for translations of the ballot measures and ballot
instructions , be provided by a person selected by the
elections official from the list of approved translators and
SB 366 (Nguyen) Page 2
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interpreters of the superior court of the county or from an
institution accredited by the WASC.
This bill:
1. Requires an elections official to provide a Spanish
translation to those candidates who wish to have one; also
requires the elections official provide translations of the
ballot measures and ballot instructions, and to select a
person to provide those translations who is one of the
following:
A. A certified and registered interpreter on the Judicial
Council Master List.
B. An interpreter categorized as "certified" or
"professionally qualified" by the
Administrative Office of the United States Courts.
C. From an institution accredited by a regional or
national accrediting agency
recognized by the United States Secretary of Education.
D. A current voting member in good standing of the
American Translators
Association
E. A current member in good standing of the American
Association of Language
Specialists.
BACKGROUND
Existing law authorizes the use of translators from two sources.
Local elections officials may use translators approved by the
1) Superior Court of the county in which they serve, or
translators from an institution accredited by the 2) Western
Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). WASC is an
institution approved by the United States Secretary of Education
to accredited colleges and universities in California, Hawaii
and some US territories such as Guam and American Samoa.
COMMENTS
3. According to the author : SB 366 will expand the list of
approved translators from which local elections officials can
choose. Elections officials will be able to contract with
SB 366 (Nguyen) Page 3
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translators approved and certified by the California State
Courts or the US Federal Courts, translators not only from
WASC accredited schools and universities but from any
similarly accredited institutions across the country, and
translators who belong to either the American Translators
Association or the American Association of Language
Specialists, two professional associations known
internationally as leaders in the translation industry.
All of these organizations hold their translators to similar or
higher standards than the organizations already in existing
law. Creating additional options for local elections
officials will give them access to better and more cost
effective translators throughout the state and the country,
allowing for a more efficient use of public money and
resources.
RELATED/PRIOR LEGISLATION
AB 2003 (Fong) of 2013, would have allowed the county elections
official to select an accredited translator registered with the
American Translators Association to provide among other things,
the translation of ballot measures and ballot instructions. AB
2003 died prior to being heard in Assembly Elections and
Redistricting Committee.
POSITIONS
Sponsor: California Association of Clerks and Election Officials
Support: None received
Oppose: None received
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