119-s2589

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2589 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 2589

 To modify certain notice requirements, to study certain election 
 requirements, to clarify certain election requirements, and for other 
 purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 July 31, 2025

 Mr. Padilla (for himself, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Warren, Mr. Markey, Mr. 
 Schiff, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Lujan, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. 
 Smith, Mr. Kim, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Booker, and 
 Ms. Hirono) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
 referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To modify certain notice requirements, to study certain election 
 requirements, to clarify certain election requirements, and for other 
 purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Expanding the Voluntary 
Opportunities for Translations in Elections Act'' or the ``Expanding 
the VOTE Act''.

SEC. 2. LANGUAGE MINORITY NOTICE REQUIREMENTS.

 

Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10503) is 
amended--

    (1) by amending subsection

    (b)

    (3)
        (A) to read as follows:
 ``
        (A) the term `voting materials'--
 ``
            (i) means registration or voting notices, 
 forms, instructions, assistance, or other 
 materials or information relating to the 
 electoral process, including ballots; and
 ``
            (ii) includes digital and printed 
 material or information produced relating to 
 the electoral process;'';

    (2) by redesignating subsection

    (e) as subsection

    (g) ; and

    (3) by inserting after subsection
            (d) the following new 
 subsections:
 ``

    (e) Responsibility of States Providing Voting Materials in 
Covered Political Subdivisions.--The prohibition under subsection

    (b) shall apply to any State that provides voting materials to a political 
subdivision subject to such prohibition.
 ``

    (f) Notice.--The Attorney General shall submit a notice of the 
prohibition of subsection

    (b) , and the threshold at which such 
prohibition applies, to each State or political subdivision that is--
 ``

    (1) below the threshold requirement under subclause
            (II) of subsection

    (b)

    (2)
        (A)
            (i) by not more than 1,000; or
 ``

    (2) below the threshold requirement under subclause
            (I) or
            (III) of subsection

    (b)

    (2)
        (A)
            (i) by not more than 0.5 
 percent.''.

SEC. 3. PROVISIONS RELATED TO AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE 
 LANGUAGES.

 

Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10503), as 
amended by 

section 2, is further amended--

    (1) in subsection

    (b)

    (3)
            (C) , by striking ``1990'' and 
 inserting ``most recent''; and

    (2) by striking subsection
            (c) and inserting the following:
 ``
            (c) Provision of Voting Materials in the Language of a Minority 
Group.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph

    (2) , whenever any 
 State or political subdivision subject to the prohibition of 
 subsection

    (b) provides any registration or voting notices, 
 forms, instructions, assistance, or other materials or 
 information relating to the electoral process, including 
 ballots, it shall provide them in the language of the 
 applicable minority group as well as in the English language.
 ``

    (2) Exceptions.--
 ``
        (A) When written american indian and alaska 
 native translations for voters are not required.--In 
 the case of a minority group that is American Indian or 
 Alaska Native, if the Tribal government of that 
 minority group has notified the Attorney General that 
 the language is unwritten or the Tribal government does 
 not want a written translation, a State or political 
 subdivision subject to the prohibition of subsection

    (b) shall only be required to furnish that minority 
 group, in the covered language, oral instructions, 
 assistance, translation of voting materials, and other 
 information relating to registration and voting.
 ``
        (B) Other minority groups with unwritten 
 language.--In the case of a minority group that is not 
 American Indian or Alaska Native, if the language of 
 that minority group is unwritten, a State or political 
 subdivision subject to the prohibition of subsection

    (b) shall only be required to furnish that minority 
 group, in the covered language, oral instructions, 
 assistance, translation of voting materials, and other 
 information relating to registration and voting.
 ``

    (3) Written translations for election workers.--
 Notwithstanding paragraph

    (2) , a State or political division 
 subject to the prohibition of subsection

    (b) shall provide 
 written translations of all voting materials, with the consent 
 of any applicable Tribal government, to election workers to 
 ensure that the translations from English to the language of a 
 minority group are complete, accurate, and uniform.
 ``

    (4) Tribal government defined.--In this subsection, the 
 term `Tribal government' means the recognized governing body of 
 any Indian or Alaska Native Tribe, band, nation, pueblo, 
 village, community, component band, or component reservation, 
 individually identified (including parenthetically) in the list 
 published most recently as of the date of enactment of the 
 Expanding the VOTE Act pursuant to 

section 104 of the Federally 
 Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131).''.

SEC. 4. GRANTS TO JURISDICTIONS TO INCENTIVIZE THE PROVISION OF VOTING 
 MATERIALS IN LANGUAGES NOT TRIGGERING 

SECTION 203 
 COVERAGE IN APPLYING JURISDICTION.

    (a) Availability of Grants.--

    (1) In general.--The Election Assistance Commission (in 
 this section, referred to as the ``Commission'') shall make 
 incentive grants under subsection

    (b) to States and political 
 subdivisions to assist the States and political subdivisions in 
 providing voting materials during an election cycle in the 
 language of a covered language minority group.

    (2) Application required.--In order to receive a grant 
 under this section, a State or political subdivision shall 
 submit to the Commission, at such time and in such form as the 
 Commission may require, an application containing such 
 information and assurances as the Commission may require, such 
 as a plan for the State or political subdivision to engage 
 stakeholders with a demonstrated experience of serving the 
 relevant covered language minority group.

    (b) Incentive Grants.--

    (1) Use of funds.--The Commission shall make an incentive 
 grant under this subsection to a State or political subdivision 
 to cover the reasonable costs incurred by the State or 
 political subdivision in providing voting materials in the 
 language of a covered language minority group for an election 
 cycle.

    (2) Continuation of provision of materials for groups in 
 succeeding election cycles.--If a State or political 
 subdivision receives an incentive grant with respect to a 
 covered language minority group for an election cycle, the 
 State or political subdivision will certify to the Commission 
 that the State or political subdivision will continue to 
 provide voting materials in the language of that covered 
 language minority group for each succeeding election cycle 
 unless the population of the group during the succeeding cycle 
 has dropped by 0.5 percent or more from the population of the 
 group during the first election cycle for which the State or 
 political subdivision received an incentive grant with respect 
 to the group.

    (3) Prohibiting multiple grants for same language minority 
 group.--If a State or political subdivision receives an 
 incentive grant with respect to a covered language minority 
 group, the State or subdivision may not receive another 
 incentive grant with respect to that same covered language 
 minority group.
            (c) === Definitions. ===
-In this section--

    (1) the term ``covered language minority group''--
        (A) means, with respect to a State or political 
 subdivision, the members of a single language minority 
 who do not meet the requirements of clause
            (i) or
            (ii) of 

section 203

    (b)

    (2)
        (A) of the Voting Rights Act of 
 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10503

    (b)

    (2)
        (A) ); and
        (B) includes the language minorities described in 
 

section 203

    (g) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 10503

    (g) ) and any 
 other language minority;

    (2) the term ``election cycle'' means the period which 
 begins on the day after the date of a regularly scheduled 
 general election for Federal office and which ends on the date 
 of the next regularly scheduled general election for Federal 
 office;

    (3) the term ``State'' means each of the several States, 
 the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
 United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the 
 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; and

    (4) the term ``voting materials'' has the meaning given 
 under 

section 203

    (b)

    (3)
        (A) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 
 U.S.C. 10503

    (b)

    (3)
        (A) ).
            (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000, to remain available 
until expended.

SEC. 5. STUDY ON CERTAIN LANGUAGE MINORITY NOTICE REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) In General.--The Comptroller General of the United States, in 
consultation with the Director of the Census, the Attorney General, and 
the Election Assistance Commission, shall conduct a study on the impact 
of--

    (1) reducing the threshold requirement--
        (A) under subclause
            (II) of 

section 203

    (b)

    (2)
        (A)
            (i) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 
 10503

    (b)

    (2)
        (A)
            (i) ) to 7,500 and 5,000, respectively; 
 and
        (B) under subclause
            (I) or
            (III) of 

section 203

    (b)

    (2)
        (A)
            (i) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 
 U.S.C. 10503

    (b)

    (2)
        (A)
            (i) ) to 4 percent, 3 percent, 2.5 
 percent, and 2 percent, respectively; and

    (2) expanding the definition of the term ``language 
 minorities'' to include native speakers of Arabic, French and 
 Haitian Creole, and any other language that the Comptroller 
 General determines to be appropriate.

    (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to 
Congress a report on the findings of the study conducted under 
subsection

    (a) .
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