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- 83rd Session (2025)
Assembly Bill No. 367–Committee on
Legislative Operations and Elections
CHAPTER..........
AN ACT relating to elections; setting forth certain language access
requirements relating to elections; requiring the Secretary of
State to employ a language access coordinator; providing that
a registered voter with a physical disability may use a mobile
device to access interpretive services; and providing other
matters properly relating thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Under existing law, each voting system used by a county or city is required to
provide voting materials in English and every language in which voting materials
are required to be prepared pursuant to federal law. (52 U.S.C. § 10503; NRS
293.2699) Section 5 of this bill requires the Secretary of State to ensure that voting
materials and other elections information are posted on the Internet website of the
Office of the Secretary of State in certain languages. Section 4 of this bill defines
the term “voting materials.” Section 11 of this bill applies that definition to the
provisions of existing law relating to elections.
Section 6 of this bill requires the Secretary of State to establish a toll -free
telephone number which may be used by any person to receive language
interpretation or assistance with translation relating to an election.
Section 9 of this bill requires the Secretary of State to employ a person to serve
as the language access coordinator for the Office of the Secretary of State, who is in
the classified service of the State.
Existing law provides that, with certain exceptions, any registered voter who by
reason of a physical disability or an inability to read or write English is unable to
mark a ballot or use any voting device withou t assistance is entitled to assistance
from a consenting person of his or her own choice. (NRS 293.296) Section 16 of
this bill provides that a registered voter with a physical disability may also use a
mobile device to access interpretive services to assist him or her in casting a vote in
an election. Such interpretive services include, without limitation, interpretive
services using American Sign Language.
EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN
SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Chapter 293 of NRS is hereby amended by adding
thereto the provisions set forth as sections 2 to 10, inclusive, of this
act.
Secs. 2 and 3. (Deleted by amendment.)
Sec. 4. “Voting materials” means the following written
materials:
1. Applications to preregister or register to vote;
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2. Ballots and the instructions for the use of such ballots,
including, without limitation, mail ballo ts, sample ballots and
provisional ballots;
3. Voting instructions;
4. Information and instructions relating to the location of
polling places, including, without limitation, vote centers,
permanent polling places for early voting and temporary branch
polling places and the hours during which such polling places will
be open;
5. Any notices required to be provided for an election
pursuant to title 24 of NRS;
6. Ballot questions;
7. Any forms prepared for an election to assist voters; and
8. Any other voting materials required to be translated
pursuant to the regulations adopted by the Secretary of State
pursuant to section 5 of this act.
Sec. 5. The Secretary of State shall ensure that voting
materials and other e lections information that is posted on the
Internet website of the Office of the Secretary of State are
available on the website in any language in which voting materials
are required to be prepared pursuant to 52 U.S.C. § 10503 and
American Sign Language. If there are less than seven languages
in which voting materials are required to be prepared pursuant to
52 U.S.C. § 10503, the Secretary of State shall ensure that voting
materials and other elections information are posted pursuant to
this subsection in at least the seven most commonly spoken
languages in the State and American Sign Language. If any such
language does not have a standard writing system, the information
required to be posted must be set forth in an audio recording in
the language. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the
Secretary of State shall use a translator who is certified in the
specific language to translate the information required pursuant
to this subsection. If such a certified translator is not available to
translate the information as required by this subsection, the
Secretary of State shall make a continuous effort to find such a
certified translator or coordinate with the respective minority
group for assistance with the translation.
Sec. 6. 1. The Secretary of State shall:
(a) Establish a toll -free telephone number which may be used
by any person in this State to receive language interpretation or
assistance with translation relating to an election, including,
without limitation, voter registration or other voter assistance; and
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(b) Post the toll-free telephone number established pursuant to
paragraph (a) on the Internet website of the Office of the
Secretary of State.
2. The Secretary of State shall ensure that the toll -free
telephone number established pursuant to subsection 1 provides
language interpretation or assistance with translation relating to
an election in the 200 most commonly spoken languages in the
State and American Sign Language.
Secs. 7 and 8. (Deleted by amendment.)
Sec. 9. 1. The Secretary of State shall employ a person to
serve as the language access coordinator for the Office of the
Secretary of State.
2. A language access coordinator employed pursuant to
subsection 1 is in the classified service of the State.
Sec. 10. In addition to any other requirement relating to
language access, the Secretary of S tate shall ensure that all
elections-related communications and information are made
available to voters in English and Spanish.
Sec. 11. NRS 293.010 is hereby amended to read as follows:
293.010 As used in this title, unless the context otherwise
requires, the words and terms defined in NRS 293.016 to 293.121,
inclusive, and section 4 of this act have the meanings ascribed to
them in those sections.
Secs. 12-15. (Deleted by amendment.)
Sec. 16. NRS 293.296 is hereby amended to read as follows:
293.296 1. Any registered voter who by reason of a physical
disability or an inability to read or write English is unable to mark a
ballot or use any voting device without assistance is entitled to
assistance from a consenti ng person of his or her own choice,
except:
(a) The voter’s employer or an agent of the voter’s employer; or
(b) An officer or agent of the voter’s labor organization.
2. A person providing assistance pursuant to this section to a
voter in casting a vo te shall not disclose any information with
respect to the casting of that ballot.
3. A registered voter with a physical disability may use a
mobile device to access interpretive services to assist him or her in
casting a vote in an election. Such interpr etive services include,
without limitation, interpretive services using American Sign
Language.
4. The right to assistance in casting a ballot may not be denied
or impaired when the need for assistance is apparent or is known to
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the election board or any member thereof or when the registered
voter requests such assistance in any manner.
[4.] 5. In addition to complying with the requirements of this
section, the county clerk and election board officer shall, upon the
request of a registered voter with a physical disability, make
reasonable accommodations to allow the voter to vote at a polling
place at which he or she is entitled to vote.
Sec. 17. (Deleted by amendment.)
Sec. 18. NRS 293.4687 is hereby amended to read as follows:
293.4687 1. The Secretary of State shall maintain a website
on the Internet for public information maintained, collected or
compiled by the Secretary of State that relates to elections, which
must include, without limitation:
(a) The Voters’ Bill of Rights required to be posted on the
Secretary of State’s Internet website pursuant to the provisions of
NRS 293.2549;
(b) The abstract of votes required to be posted on a website
pursuant to the provisions of NRS 293.388;
(c) A current list of the registered voters in this State that also
indicates the petition district in which each registered voter resides;
(d) A map or maps indicating the boundaries of each petition
district; [and]
(e) All reports submitted to the Secretary of State pursuant to the
provisions of chapter 294A of NRS [.] ; and
(f) The toll-free telephone number established by the Secretary
of State pursuant to section 6 of this act.
2. The information required to be maintained, collected and
compiled by the Secretary of State pursuant to subsection 1 must
be made available in all languages in which information and
voting materials are required to be provided pursuant to section 5
of this act.
3. The abstract of votes required to be maintained on the
website pursuant to paragraph (b) of subsection 1 must be
maintained in such a format as to permit the searching of the
abstract of votes for specific information.
[3.] 4. If the information required to be maintained by the
Secretary of State pursuant to subsection 1 may be obtained by the
public from a website on the Internet maintained by a county clerk
or city clerk, the Secretary of State may provide a hyperlink to that
website to comply with the provisions of subsection 1 with regard to
that information.
Secs. 19-43. (Deleted by amendment.)
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Sec. 44. 1. This section and sections 41, 42 and 43 of this act
become effective upon passage and approval.
2. Sections 1 to 40, inclusive, of this act become effective:
(a) Upon passage and approval for the purpose of adopting any
regulations and performing any other preparatory administrative
tasks that are necessary to carry out the provisions of this act; and
(b) On January 1, 2026, for all other purposes.
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