California Elections Code

§ 12303

ELEC § 12303 Effective Jan 1, 2024Div. 12 · Ch. 4 · Art. 1

Statute text

(a)A person who cannot read or write the English language is not eligible to act as a member of any precinct board.

(b)It is the intent of the Legislature that non-English-speaking citizens, like all other citizens, should be encouraged to vote. Therefore, appropriate efforts should be made to minimize obstacles to non-English-speaking citizens voting without assistance.

(c)(1) Where the elections official finds that citizens described in subdivision (b) approximate 3 percent or more of the voting-age residents of a precinct, or if interested citizens or organizations provided information that the elections official believes indicates a need for voting assistance for qualified citizens described in subdivision (b), the elections official shall make reasonable efforts to recruit elections officials who are fluent in a language used by citizens described in subdivision (b) and in English. This recruitment shall be conducted through the cooperation of interested citizens and organizations and through voluntarily donated public service notices in the media, including newspapers, radio, television, and the internet, particularly those media that serve the non-English-speaking citizens described in subdivision (b).

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Legislative history

Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 131, Sec. 55. (AB 1754) Effective January 1, 2024.