§ 17-19-54 - Bilingual voting material requirements. - Rhode Island Statutes

SECTION 17-19-54

   § 17-19-54  Bilingual voting materialrequirements. – (a) Pursuant to Section 203 of the Federal Voting Rights Act, 42 U.S.C.1973aa-la, a city or town shall be subject to the provisions of the bilingualvoting materials requirement whenever the Director of the Census determines,based on census data, that:

   (1) More than five percent (5%) of the citizens of voting ageof a city or town are members of a single language minority and arelimited-English proficient; or

   (2) More than ten thousand (10,000) of the citizens of votingage of a city or town are members of a single language minority and arelimited-English proficient; and

   (ii) The illiteracy rate of the citizens in the languageminority as a group is higher than the national illiteracy rate.

   (b) Whenever a city or town subject to the provisions ofsubsection (a) of this section provides any registration or voting notices,forms, instructions, assistance, or other materials or information relating tothe electoral process, including ballots, it shall provide them in the languageof the applicable minority group as well as in the English language.

   (c) Whenever the state provides any registration or votingnotices, forms, instructions, assistance, or other materials or informationrelating to the electoral process, including ballots, to a city or town subjectto the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, it shall provide them inthe language of the applicable minority group as well as in the Englishlanguage.

   (d) The provisions of this section shall apply to all ballotsissued or required under the provisions of this chapter.