Voters: language accessibility.

Existing law establishes the Secretary of State as the chief elections officer of the state and requires that he or she ensure that elections are efficiently conducted and that state election laws are enforced. Existing law declares the intent of the Legislature that non-English-speaking citizens, like all 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. This bill would require the Secretary of State to establish a Language Accessibility Advisory Committee. The committee would consist of at least 15 members and would include the Secretary of State, his or her designees, and additional members appointed by the Secretary of State who have demonstrated language accessibility experience, have knowledge of methods for presenting election materials, or are county elections officials or their designee. The bill would require the Secretary of State to consult with and consider the recommendations of the committee.