Greenlining-Sponsored Legislation Would Translate Proposed Ballot Initiatives and Recall Petitions
Contact: Bruce Mirken, Greenlining Institute Media Relations Director, 510-926-4022; 415-846-7758 (cell)
SACRAMENTO – The California Assembly has passed landmark legislation to help make sure all Californians have an equal opportunity to participate in the ballot initiative process, regardless of what language they speak. SB 654, introduced by Senators Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and Alex Padilla (D-San Fernando Valley) and sponsored by The Greenlining Institute, would bring California’s signature-gathering process into line with state sample ballots and voter pamphlets, as well as the federal Voting Rights Act.
“Nearly half of California’s naturalized citizens are limited English proficient, roughly 2.6 million of whom are eligible voters, and these citizens deserve the same say as the rest of us in what gets on the ballot,” said Michelle Romero, Greenlining’s Claiming Our Democracy program director. “We’re all better off when voters can fully read and understand petitions they’re asked to sign.”
Greenlining began raising the issue with legislators after hearing from frustrated voters who felt shut out of this key part of the political process. While sample ballots and voter pamphlets are already translated for non-English speakers, ballot initiative and recall petitions circulated in hopes of qualifying for the ballot are not covered by current law. SB 654 requires the Attorney General to translate the title and summary of proposed initiatives and recall petitions into languages covered by the federal Voting Rights Act. In California, the languages include Chinese, Tagalog, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Khmer, Hindi, and Vietnamese.
“It is time to break down the language barriers that prevent non-English speaking voters from participating fully in California’s ballot initiative process,” said Sen. Leno. “As a state we should be doing everything we can to prevent gaps in voter access so every Californian has an opportunity to help determine which measures qualify for the ballot.”
SB 654 returns to the Senate for a concurrence vote before heading to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk.