# Understanding the Expanding the VOTE Act

This bill is about making sure people who don't speak English can vote more easily. It focuses on providing voting materials and assistance in languages other than English, particularly for communities that have historically faced barriers to voting.

The core of the bill deals with something called the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which currently requires states and local areas to provide voting materials in other languages only when certain thresholds are met—basically, when there are enough non-English speakers in an area. Right now, this kicks in when a language minority group makes up at least 5 percent of the voting population or at least 10,000 people, depending on the situation. The bill makes two main changes here. First, it requires the Attorney General to notify states and local areas that are close to hitting these thresholds—within 1,000 people or 0.5 percent—so they know they might soon need to provide translations. Second, it creates a grant program offering $15 million to help states and local areas voluntarily provide voting materials in languages that don't currently trigger the legal requirement, as a way to encourage them to do so.

The bill also updates how voting materials must be provided for American Indian and Alaska Native communities. It clarifies that if a tribal government says their language is unwritten or they don't want written translations, election officials only need to provide oral assistance and translations instead of written ballots. However, election workers would still get written translations to ensure accuracy and consistency.

Finally, the bill directs a government study to examine what would happen if the thresholds were lowered and if more languages—like Arabic, French, and Haitian Creole—were added to the list of languages requiring translations. This study will help Congress understand the potential costs and benefits of expanding language access in voting even further.

Expanding the VOTE Act

Expanding the Voluntary Opportunities for Translations in Elections Act or the Expanding the VOTE Act This bill expands access to voting materials for individuals with limited proficiency in the English language, including by establishing incentive grants for states and political subdivisions to provide translated voting materials. Additionally, the bill directs the Government Accountability Office to study the impact of (1) reducing the threshold requirement under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and (2) expanding the definition of language minorities to include native speakers of additional languages.