{"id":2291,"date":"2025-03-26T11:13:01","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T18:13:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/?post_type=press&p=2291"},"modified":"2025-07-29T10:08:57","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T17:08:57","slug":"californians-join-together-for-our-freedom-to-vote-no-matter-our-language","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/californians-join-together-for-our-freedom-to-vote-no-matter-our-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Californians Join Together for Our Freedom to Vote, No Matter Our Language"},"template":"","class_list":["post-2291","press","type-press","status-publish","hentry","press_type-press-release"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"SB 266 would bring translated votable ballots\u2014not just sample ones\u2014to more CA voters, no matter what language they speak.","featured_image":"","press_type":157,"authors":"","related_issues":[109,429],"related_work":false,"location":3},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":"","name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"SACRAMENTO, CA \u2014 To protect and strengthen Californians\u2019 freedom to have an equal say in the decisions that shape our lives, the Asian Law Caucus, California Common Cause, and the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA) unveiled a new bill, <\/span>SB 266<\/span><\/a>, in the state capital today.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nAuthored by Senator Sabrina Cervantes, SB 266 would keep California at the forefront of an inclusive democracy. By passing SB 266, California counties would be required to provide voters with:\u00a0<\/span>\r\n
    \r\n \t
  • Votable ballots in Spanish in 28 additional counties (56 counties total);<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t
  • Votable ballots in Tagalog in 23 additional counties (29 counties total); and\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t
  • Votable ballots in Amharic, Armenian, Arabic, Russian, Somali, and other languages that federal law has long excluded.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\u201cOne of the reasons we are proud to call California home is that our state is one of the most diverse in the country,\u201d said <\/span>Senator Cervantes<\/b>. \u201cWe must continue to embrace and elevate our diversity to ensure that everyone has the same opportunity to thrive. That\u2019s what Senate Bill 266 will help achieve,\u201d explained the Senator. \u201cWhether 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.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\nA broad coalition of community groups, including many who provide services to aspiring citizens, is championing SB 266, which takes practical steps to update Section 14201 of the state voting rights law. Under its provisions, counties will be required to provide votable ballots in a non-English language once the community who speaks that language comprises at least 3% of a precinct\u2019s voting age population. SB 266 also expands Sec. 14201\u2019s requirements to all languages, ending the current federal exclusions.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cFor democracy to work for all of us, it must include us all; but federal and state laws have not kept up with California\u2019s growing and diverse population,\u201d said <\/span>Deanna Kitamura, Voting Rights Managing Attorney at the Asian Law Caucus.<\/b> \u201cOur state is stronger when all voters, whether we have lived here all our lives or made California our home, have the freedom to vote equally, and that\u2019s exactly what SB 266 would make possible.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cEvery vote matters, and ensuring voters can cast an informed ballot means protecting their right to representation,\u201d said <\/span>Pedro Hernandez, Legal and Policy Director at California Common Cause. <\/b>\u201cSB 266 ensures that more voters\u2014regardless of their language skills\u2014can fully understand their choices, hold their leaders accountable, and participate in the decisions that shape their communities.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cVoters in California who are striving to build a better life for their families are denied the full freedom to vote because they use languages excluded by federal law,\u201d said <\/span>Viveka Ray-Mazumder, Associate Director of Inclusive Democracy at PANA<\/b>. \u201cTranslated sample ballots are a confusing, ineffective bandaid, and in cities like San Diego, it means thousands of Somali community members are not able to be the voters they want to be - in the know and armed with accurate information. SB 266 is an important step forward for votable ballots in dozens of languages for voters across the state.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nVoters in California and across the country have come together to advance solutions like SB 266. In Washington, voters are able to register in Somali and Russian. In two Michigan cities, voters can get votable ballots in Arabic. In 2020, Los Angeles County asked voters about their language needs, and around 70,000 voters responded asking for a ballot in a language other than English.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cSection 203 of the federal Voting Rights Act expires in just seven years, which puts at risk millions of people\u2019s freedom to vote,\u201d said <\/span>Reshad Noorzay, Executive Director of CAIR-SV\/CC.<\/b> \u201cWith SB 266, we can commit to being a state where every voter has equal say.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cAs a statewide network of organizations that promote the civic empowerment of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, we strive to build a just democracy where our communities can fully participate in decision making on issues which affect our everyday lives,\u201d said <\/span>Cha Vang, Deputy Director of Politics & Partnerships at AAPIs For Civic Empowerment (AAPIFORCE).<\/b> \u201cWe strongly believe SB 266 is a critical step to getting there.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cDemocracy requires inclusivity. By joining together to pass SB 266, we can bring votable ballots in Spanish to 28 counties, including Santa Cruz, Solano, and Yolo,\u201d said <\/span>Hector Villagra, VP of Policy Advocacy & Community Education at MALDEF.<\/b>\u00a0 \u201cWhether voters use Spanish, Chinese, or Vietnamese, we must ensure they too can cast an informed vote on the issues that matter most to them\u2014from getting the care they need and making a good living to keeping their families whole and safe.\u201d<\/span>"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_add_component","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_add_component":null},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_work","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_work":{"heading":"Work","manually_curate":false,"work":null}}]},"yoast_head":"\nCalifornians Join Together for Our Freedom to Vote, No Matter Our Language - Common Cause California<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/californians-join-together-for-our-freedom-to-vote-no-matter-our-language\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Californians Join Together for Our Freedom to Vote, No Matter Our Language\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/californians-join-together-for-our-freedom-to-vote-no-matter-our-language\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Common Cause California\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-29T17:08:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/common-cause-share-image.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/californians-join-together-for-our-freedom-to-vote-no-matter-our-language\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/californians-join-together-for-our-freedom-to-vote-no-matter-our-language\/\",\"name\":\"Californians Join Together for Our Freedom to Vote, No Matter Our Language - Common Cause California\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-26T18:13:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-29T17:08:57+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/californians-join-together-for-our-freedom-to-vote-no-matter-our-language\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/californians-join-together-for-our-freedom-to-vote-no-matter-our-language\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/californians-join-together-for-our-freedom-to-vote-no-matter-our-language\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Californians Join Together for Our Freedom to Vote, No Matter Our Language\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/\",\"name\":\"Common Cause California\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Californians Join Together for Our Freedom to Vote, No Matter Our Language - Common Cause California","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/californians-join-together-for-our-freedom-to-vote-no-matter-our-language\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Californians Join Together for Our Freedom to Vote, No Matter Our Language","og_url":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/californians-join-together-for-our-freedom-to-vote-no-matter-our-language\/","og_site_name":"Common Cause California","article_modified_time":"2025-07-29T17:08:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/common-cause-share-image.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/californians-join-together-for-our-freedom-to-vote-no-matter-our-language\/","url":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/californians-join-together-for-our-freedom-to-vote-no-matter-our-language\/","name":"Californians Join Together for Our Freedom to Vote, No Matter Our Language - Common Cause California","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-03-26T18:13:01+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-29T17:08:57+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/californians-join-together-for-our-freedom-to-vote-no-matter-our-language\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/californians-join-together-for-our-freedom-to-vote-no-matter-our-language\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/californians-join-together-for-our-freedom-to-vote-no-matter-our-language\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Californians Join Together for Our Freedom to Vote, No Matter Our Language"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/","name":"Common Cause California","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Common Cause California","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/2291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/2291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2608,"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/2291\/revisions\/2608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}