# Plain Language Summary of the VOTE Act

This bill would punish states that provide ballots in languages other than English by cutting off federal funding for election administration. Specifically, any state that offers ballots printed in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, or any other language alongside English would lose federal money that helps pay for running elections—money that typically goes toward things like equipment, training poll workers, and maintaining voting systems. The bill applies this penalty to any year a state provides multilingual ballots for federal elections (presidential, congressional, etc.).

The bill also attempts to overturn a key part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that currently requires certain states and counties to provide ballots in languages other than English. This requirement exists in areas with significant populations of voters who have limited English proficiency, ensuring they can understand what they're voting on. By eliminating this requirement, the bill would allow states to offer English-only ballots even in communities where many residents don't speak English fluently.

The practical effect would be significant for millions of Americans. Non-English speakers in affected areas would face major barriers to voting—they might not understand the candidates or issues on the ballot, potentially making it impossible for them to vote effectively. Additionally, states would face a difficult choice: either lose federal election funding (which could harm voting infrastructure for all voters) or stop providing multilingual ballots. This would particularly impact immigrant communities, elderly immigrants, and other limited-English speakers who currently rely on translated ballots to participate in elections.

VOTE Act

Hamadeh, Abraham J.

Voting Only Through English Act or the VOTE ActThis bill requires states to use English-only ballots to qualify for certain federal election funds. It also repeals a prohibition on English-only federal elections and eliminates language assistance provisions under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA). (The VRA requires&nbsp;some jurisdictions to provide materials such as ballots and registration information in English and in other covered languages for voters whose English proficiency is limited. The bill removes these requirements.)Specifically, the bill&nbsp;prohibits a state from receiving federal election administration funds if the state provides ballots for a federal election that include text in any language other than English.