100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2017 and 2018
HB2469

 

Introduced , by Rep. Lawrence Walsh, Jr.

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
10 ILCS 5/17-14.1 new

    Amends the Election Code. Requires each election authority to report to the State Board of Elections all census tracts within its jurisdiction in which more than 10% of the persons who speak the same foreign language have been identified as having limited English proficiency, as reported in the American Community Survey. Provides that those reports shall be made in 2018 and then each year ending in a 1 or a 6. Provides that, beginning with the general election held in 2018, any election authority reporting that more than 10% of persons residing within a census tract speaking the same foreign language have been identified as having limited English proficiency shall make certain election information available in the primary non-English language of those persons having limited English proficiency. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

HB2469LRB100 08618 MLM 18752 b

1    AN ACT concerning elections.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Election Code is amended by adding Section
517-14.1 as follows:
 
6    (10 ILCS 5/17-14.1 new)
7    Sec. 17-14.1. Foreign language ballots.
8    (a) As used in this Section:
9    "Election information" means all information necessary for
10the public to participate fully and freely in all elections,
11including but not limited to, voter registration forms,
12candidate qualifying forms (but not nomination petitions),
13candidate information pamphlets, voter information pamphlets,
14vote by mail and regular ballots, and information about poll
15locations and hours of operation. "Election information" shall
16not include the website of an election authority, but if an
17election authority is required by this Section to provide
18foreign language election information anywhere in its
19jurisdiction, the front page of the website shall indicate how
20persons speaking the foreign language or languages in the
21jurisdiction can access foreign language election information.
22The indication required in this subsection shall be in the
23language or languages of the population that triggered the

 

 

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1applicability of this Section.
2    "Foreign language" means Chinese, Korean, Polish, Spanish,
3and any combination of Gujarati, Hindi, and Urdu.
4    "Limited English proficiency" means a person who has been
5estimated by the American Community Survey to speak English
6less than "very well".
7    "Table B16001" means the dataset published by the U.S.
8Census Bureau or American Community Survey titled "Language
9spoken at home by ability to speak English for the population 5
10years and over" and identified as Table B16001, or any
11substantially similar dataset the U.S. Census or American
12Community Survey publishes following any future survey.
13    (b) On or before June 1, 2018 and then on or before June 1
14of every subsequent year ending in a 1 or a 6, each election
15authority shall report to the State Board of Elections all
16census tracts in its jurisdiction in which Table B16001
17demonstrates that the American Community Survey has estimated
18that more than 10% of the persons residing within that census
19tract who speak the same foreign language have been identified
20as having limited English proficiency. The election authority
21shall use information from the most recent American Community
22Survey estimate. The State Board of Elections shall make this
23list publicly available on its website on or before June 30 of
24the same year.
25    (c) Beginning with the general election held in 2018, any
26election authority reporting census tracts to the State Board

 

 

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1of Elections pursuant to subsection (b) of this Section shall
2make all election information available in the primary
3non-English language of the persons having limited English
4proficiency identified in Table B16001. Ballots in these
5foreign languages need only be available to voters registered
6in the precincts that overlap with the census tracts identified
7in the reports required in subsection (b). If the foreign
8language that triggers the applicability of this Section is the
9combination of Gujarati, Hindi, and Urdu, then ballots shall be
10made available in Hindi only, but the election authority shall
11make a good-faith effort to recruit Gujarati and Urdu election
12judges in precincts that overlap the census tracts where the
13American Community Survey estimates Gujarati and Urdu speakers
14reside.
15    (d) Nothing in this Section requires an election authority
16to make election information available in the primary
17non-English language of the Limited English Proficiency
18persons prior to June 1, 2018.
 
19    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
20becoming law.