Some CA lawmakers want voting materials to reflect language diversity

California is one of the country’s most racially diverse states, with its population speaking more than 200 different languages and dialects, as CalMatters reported in 2022. 

Several groups have now joined forces to try and make voting easier for those groups: 

• State Sen. Sabrina Cervantes is unveiling a bill today that would expand the number of languages voting ballots and voting instructions are available for California voters. 
• Another proposal by Assemblymember Corey Jackson, a Moreno Valley Democrat, would require elections officials to provide voter information and ballots in Bengali by request.

Backed by good governance advocacy organizations including Common Cause California and the immigrants rights group the Asian Law Caucus, Cervantes’ bill would direct California’s Secretary of State to identify the languages spoken by at least 3% of voting-age residents in a county who don’t speak English fluently — including languages not guaranteed by current federal voting rights laws. Election officials would then be required to provide voting ballots, ballot envelopes and related voting instructions in these languages.

• Cervantes, a Riverside Democrat, in a statement: “One of the reasons we are proud to call California home is that our state is one of the most diverse in the country. … Whether a lawfully registered voter speaks English or not, they should have a voice in our government and be able to cast a ballot fairly and equally.”

If the bill becomes law, 28 more counties would be required to provide voters with ballots in Spanish (bringing the total to 56 counties) and 23 more would need to provide ballots in Tagalog (for a total of 29). Sacramento County, for example, would also be required to provide ballots in Ukrainian and Arabic for the first time.

The bill would go into effect by December 2029, so not in time for California’s primary election next year or the general election in November 2028.

Roughly 40 percent of Californians speak a language other than English at home, and one in five speak limited English. 

Jackson’s proposal could be especially impactful as Bengali is one of a handful of languages that saw the greatest percentage increase in the number of speakers in California over the past five years, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. 

Last year, citing costs, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill to expand translation support of voting material and resources, including creating a toll-free help hotline and setting aside funding for county language coordinators. 

Both bills currently being considered by the Legislature come during a time when President Donald Trump issued an executive order earlier this month declaring English as the country’s official language — which 51% of adults surveyed by the Pew Research Center said was at least “very important” to designate. 

Though legal experts say the order may have no immediate impact, advocates are concerned that this could make it more difficult for non-English speakers to vote or access government service, reports The New York Times. On Tuesday Trump signed another order that would increase voter registration restrictions.

In 2023, over two-thirds of California students reported experiencing food insecurity. While as many as 750,000 college students are eligible for CalFresh — California’s version of the federally funded food benefit program, SNAP — only about 127,000 end up receiving assistance.

As Amy Elisabeth Moore of CalMatters’ College Journalism Network explains, many California college students are going hungry, despite several campuses employing dedicated staff to help students apply for CalFresh. Students who are not eating enough not only experience issues with mental and physical health, they also get lower grades and graduate at lower rates. Students receiving SNAP benefits, however, do better academically.

Part of the reason why eligible students aren’t enrolling in CalFresh is the complex application process. Students must submit required documents, such as proof of enrollment and pay stubs. But students report inconsistencies about which documents they’re supposed to submit. 

A phone interview is also required, but some report being on hold for hours after their appointed time to speak with someone. If students do get CalFresh, they must apply for recertification, which requires another application and interview. 

Read more here.

CalMatters has ongoing partnerships with public radio outlets across the state, which help us expand the reach of our coverage, both statewide and in the communities and regions where the reporting is most relevant.

Here are some radio highlights from the past month:

• Capitol reporter Jeanne Kuang brought her on-the-ground coverage of the recent GOP Spring Organizing Convention to CapRadio’s Insight. 
• Reporter Wendy Fry joined LAist’s AirTalk from the border to share an update on the Trump administration sending hundreds of immigrants to a prison in El Salvador.
• Investigative reporter Lauren Hepler also spoke with AirTalk about a bill in the Legislature that’s asking for more accountability from California’s homeless shelters. The proposed legislation follows a CalMatters investigation that found evidence of violence and mismanagement at shelters across the state.
• Reporters Julie Cart and Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett spoke with CapRadio’s Insight about their expansive new investigation into the health of Lake Tahoe. Julie will be back on the radio this morning discussing this coverage on AirTalk.

California has launched a $500 million plan to restore the shrinking and polluted Salton Sea. CalMatters Inland Empire reporter Deborah Brennan and video strategy director Robert Meeks have a video segment on a new conservancy that seeks to improve the imperiled lake as part of our partnership with PBS SoCal. Watch it here.

SoCalMatters airs at 5:58 p.m. weekdays on PBS SoCal.