Revises provisions governing elections. (BDR 24-821)
AB 246A revises Nevada election law to expand language access for voters with limited English proficiency. The bill requires the Secretary of State, county clerks, and city clerks to make voting materials and election information available online and at polling places in additional languages when state or local data show sufficient numbers of qualified electors in a minority language group. It also requires a toll-free telephone line for language interpretation and translation assistance, adds language-preference fields to voter registration forms and the statewide voter registration list, and directs sample ballots, the Voters’ Bill of Rights, and certain election websites to be available in the relevant languages.
The bill also creates a Language Access Advisory Committee within the Office of the Secretary of State to identify language-access needs, coordinate with community organizations, and recommend improvements. It requires good-faith efforts to appoint bilingual election board officers, and if voting systems can do so, to provide ballots and candidate/measure lists in a voter’s preferred language. The bill includes an appropriation to the Secretary of State’s office to implement these changes and sets an accelerated timeline so language materials can be ready for the 2024 General Election.
AB 246A would amend multiple chapters of the Nevada Revised Statutes governing elections, voter registration, sample ballots, polling-place notices, electronic voting systems, and state and local election websites. It expands the statutory duties of the Secretary of State and county and city clerks, adds new language-access obligations tied to population thresholds, and requires new data collection and reporting on voter language preference. The bill also creates a new advisory committee and appropriates state funds for implementation, while imposing unfunded mandates on local governments for certain compliance costs.
The bill appears generally supportive of expanding access to the electoral process for voters who are not fluent in English, with its structure emphasizing outreach, translation, and assistance rather than restriction. Because no committee transcript or recorded votes were provided, there is no documented floor or committee debate to indicate opposition or support beyond the bill’s text. The overall tone of the measure is remedial and administrative, aimed at improving participation and compliance with language-access needs.
The main points of potential contention are likely to be cost, administrative burden, and implementation feasibility. The bill requires counties and cities to provide translated materials, bilingual staffing efforts, website updates, and polling-place notices, and it expressly identifies several sections as containing unfunded mandates. Another likely issue is the data-driven trigger for when translation duties apply, including the thresholds of 5,000 or 20,000 qualified electors and the reliance on American Community Survey data or state-collected language preference information. There may also be practical concerns about finding certified translators, handling languages without standard writing systems, and meeting the accelerated deadline for the 2024 General Election.