HB 1210 Virginia House of Delegates · 2020 Regular Session

Minority language accessibility; voting and election materials.

Summary
Minority language accessibility; voting and election materials. Requires the State Board of Elections to prescribe, and a covered locality to provide, voting and election materials in languages other than English. A county, city, or town is designated by the State Board as a covered locality if the State Board determines, in consultation with the Director of the Census, based on the 2010 American Community Survey census data and subsequent American Community Survey data in five-year increments, or comparable census data, that (i) either (a) more than five percent of the citizens of voting age of such county, city, or town are members of a single language minority and are unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process; (b) more than 10,000 of the citizens of voting age of such county, city, or town are members of a single language minority and are unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process; or (c) in the case of a county, city, or town containing all or any part of an Indian reservation, more than five percent of the American Indian citizens of voting age within the Indian reservation are members of a single language minority and are unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process and (ii) the illiteracy rate of the citizens of the language minority as a group is higher than the national illiteracy rate. The bill also allows the State Board to make available voting and election materials in any additional languages other than those required as it deems necessary and appropriate. The State Board may accept voting and election materials translated by volunteers but shall verify the accuracy of such translations prior to making the translated materials available to a county, city, or town, or any voter. The bill has a delayed effective date of September 1, 2021.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2020
Committee Review
Feb 2020
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2020
Senate Passage
Feb 2020
Signed into Law
Apr 2020
Introduced Jan 7, 2020 Signed Apr 6, 2020
Floor votes · Senate Feb 28, 2020 · House of Delegates Feb 6, 2020

How they voted

23–13
Passed · 4 other
Total votes 40
Feb 28, 2020
D Democratic21
20 Yea 1
95% Yea
R Republican19
3 Yea 13 Nay 3
68% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
34
Key actions
9
Committee
9
Amendments
4
Apr 6, 2020
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 719 (effective 9/1/21)
executive
Mar 2, 2020
Introduced
Senate amendments agreed to by House (60-Y 38-N)
lower
Feb 28, 2020
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate with amendments (23-Y 13-N)
upper
Feb 28, 2020
Introduced
Engrossed by Senate as amended
upper
Feb 28, 2020
Upper · Passed
Committee amendments agreed to
upper
Feb 28, 2020
Introduced
Reading of amendments waived
upper
Feb 25, 2020
Upper · Passed
Reported from Privileges and Elections with amendments (12-Y 3-N)
upper
Feb 7, 2020
Committee
Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
upper
Feb 6, 2020
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (64-Y 34-N)
lower
Feb 5, 2020
Introduced
Engrossed by House as amended HB1210E
lower
Feb 5, 2020
Lower · Passed
Committee amendments agreed to
lower
Jan 31, 2020
Lower · Passed
Reported from Privileges and Elections with amendments (15-Y 6-N)
lower
Jan 29, 2020
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (4-Y 2-N)
lower
Jan 29, 2020
Lower · Passed
House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
lower
Jan 13, 2020
Committee
Assigned P & E sub: Gubernatorial Appointments
lower
Jan 7, 2020
Committee
Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
lower
Jan 7, 2020
Introduced
Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20103702D
lower
1 primary · 3 co-sponsors

Sponsors