Bill Text: IL HB1452 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Engrossed
Bill Title: Amends the Election Code. Provides that, if at least 5,000 voting-age citizens of a municipality are members of a single minority group and are limited-English proficient, and the 5,000 voting-age citizens constitute at least 5 percent of the voting-age citizens of that municipality, as determined by the United States Bureau of the Census by use of the most recent American Community Survey data available before the ballots for an election are certified by the State Board of Elections, then the election authority with jurisdiction of that municipality shall make a sufficient number of ballots in the language spoken by that single minority group available to voters of that municipality. Provides that, if a municipality lies within 2 or more counties and does not have a board of election commissioners that is coterminous with its borders, then each election authority shall provide the non-English ballots for the precincts in that municipality lying within the election authority's jurisdiction. Provides that the State Board of Elections shall adopt any rules necessary for the implementation of these provisions.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2015-10-10 - Pursuant to Senate Rule 3-9(b) / Referred to Assignments [HB1452 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2015-HB1452-Engrossed.html
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1 | AN ACT concerning elections.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Election Code is amended by adding Section | ||||||
5 | 17-14.1 as follows:
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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 | ||||||
10 | the public to participate fully and freely in all elections, | ||||||
11 | including but not limited to, voter registration forms, | ||||||
12 | candidate qualifying forms (but not nomination petitions), | ||||||
13 | candidate information pamphlets, voter information pamphlets, | ||||||
14 | vote by mail and regular ballots, and information about poll | ||||||
15 | locations and hours of operation. "Election information" shall | ||||||
16 | not include the website of an election authority, but if an | ||||||
17 | election authority is required by this Section to provide | ||||||
18 | foreign language election information anywhere in its | ||||||
19 | jurisdiction, the front page of the website shall indicate how | ||||||
20 | persons speaking the foreign language or languages in the | ||||||
21 | jurisdiction can access foreign language election information. | ||||||
22 | The indication required in this subsection shall be in the | ||||||
23 | language or languages of the population that triggered the |
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1 | applicability of this Section. | ||||||
2 | "Foreign language" means Chinese, Korean, Polish, Spanish, | ||||||
3 | and any combination of Gujarati, Hindi, and Urdu. | ||||||
4 | "Limited English proficiency" means a person who has been | ||||||
5 | estimated by the American Community Survey to speak English | ||||||
6 | less than "very well". | ||||||
7 | "Table B16001" means the dataset published by the U.S. | ||||||
8 | Census Bureau or American Community Survey titled "Language | ||||||
9 | spoken at home by ability to speak English for the population 5 | ||||||
10 | years and over" and identified as Table B16001, or any | ||||||
11 | substantially similar dataset the U.S. Census or American | ||||||
12 | Community Survey publishes following any future survey. | ||||||
13 | (b) On or before June 1, 2016 and on or before June 1 of | ||||||
14 | every subsequent year ending in a 1 or a 6, each election | ||||||
15 | authority shall report to the State Board of Elections all | ||||||
16 | census tracts in its jurisdiction in which Table B16001 | ||||||
17 | demonstrates that the American Community Survey has estimated | ||||||
18 | that more than 10% of the persons residing within that census | ||||||
19 | tract who speak the same foreign language have been identified | ||||||
20 | as having limited English proficiency. The election authority | ||||||
21 | shall use information from the most recent American Community | ||||||
22 | Survey estimate. The State Board of Elections shall make this | ||||||
23 | list publicly available on its website on or before June 30 of | ||||||
24 | the same year. | ||||||
25 | (c) Beginning with the general election held in 2016, any | ||||||
26 | election authority reporting census tracts to the State Board |
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1 | of Elections pursuant to subsection (b) of this Section shall | ||||||
2 | make all election information available in the primary | ||||||
3 | non-English language of the persons having limited English | ||||||
4 | proficiency identified in Table B16001. Ballots in these | ||||||
5 | foreign languages need only be available to voters registered | ||||||
6 | in the precincts that overlap with the census tracts identified | ||||||
7 | in the reports required in subsection (b). If the foreign | ||||||
8 | language that triggers the applicability of this Section is the | ||||||
9 | combination of Gujarati, Hindi, and Urdu, then ballots shall be | ||||||
10 | made available in Hindi only, but the election authority shall | ||||||
11 | make a good-faith effort to recruit Gujarati and Urdu election | ||||||
12 | judges in precincts that overlap the census tracts where the | ||||||
13 | American Community Survey estimates Gujarati and Urdu speakers | ||||||
14 | reside. | ||||||
15 | (d) Nothing in this Section requires an election authority | ||||||
16 | to make election information available in the primary | ||||||
17 | non-English language of the Limited English Proficiency | ||||||
18 | persons prior to June 1, 2016.
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