Elections: Bengali.

Assembly Member Jackson's proposal to expand California's language assistance requirements would require county elections officials to provide Bengali-language voting materials upon voter request. The measure adds a new provision to state election law mandating that registration forms, ballots, instructions, and other electoral materials be made available in Bengali when voters seek such accommodations.

The legislation builds upon existing federal and state requirements for language assistance in elections, including those established under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. County elections officials would need to develop procedures for fulfilling Bengali language requests across the full spectrum of voting materials and assistance. While the bill creates new obligations for local election authorities, it includes provisions for state reimbursement of associated costs if determined to qualify as state-mandated expenditures by the Commission on State Mandates.

The measure focuses specifically on serving Bengali-speaking voters who actively request materials in their language, rather than imposing blanket translation requirements. County election offices would maintain discretion over implementation approaches while being required to fulfill valid language assistance requests. This targeted expansion of language access would operate within established frameworks for providing voting materials in languages other than English.