Election Law - Local Boards of Elections - Language Assistance Program

HB 983 requires Maryland's State Board of Elections to determine if local election boards need to provide language assistance based on census data showing significant limited English proficiency among voters. Specifically, a county must provide assistance if either: (1) over 2% of its voting-age population (but at least 100 people) shares a non-English language and has limited English proficiency, or (2) over 4,000 people share a non-English language and have limited English proficiency. Local election boards must then provide translated voting materials, bilingual election judges where available, and multilingual signage at polling places in designated languages. This policy directly affects voters with limited English proficiency in qualifying counties, ensuring access to election materials and assistance.