Nevada lawmakers take another shot at helping voters overcome language barrier

CARSON CITY — Spring Valley High School senior Abigail Negate shoulders the responsibility of translating critical documents — report cards, legal papers, and medical forms — from English to her family’s native Amharic.

When Negate encountered unfamiliar terms, her family was left without complete information for essential activities, highlighting the real-world impact of translation gaps on immigrant families.

“Parents and guardians should be able to communicate with American institutions without needing a child to interpret for them,” Negate told Nevada lawmakers during a committee hearing last week. “A child, I’m going to repeat once again, should not be given that responsibility.”

Negate wasn’t alone in describing how a language barrier created significant challenges.

She was joined by children from immigrant families and other supporters to show their support of Assembly Bill 367 that would strengthen election accessibility by mandating that the secretary of state provide voting materials in all required languages to ensure participation for linguistically diverse communities.

Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar established language accessibility as a priority early in his tenure. His office provided dial-direct interpreter services for over 200 languages and translated ballot question guides in English, Spanish, Filipino, Tagalog, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean ahead of the 2024 general election.

AB 367, presented by Assemblymember Cecelia González, D-Las Vegas, aims to make many of Aguilar’s efforts permanent.

“The secretary of state has already taken voluntary steps to support language access,” said Noé Orosco, the government affairs manager for Make the Road Nevada, a nonprofit organization focused on immigrant communities. “But by codifying these resources into law, we ensure that no future administration can strip them away.”

The legislation would further require the secretary of state’s website to feature translations in at least the seven most prevalent languages plus American Sign Language, while also permitting assistive devices within polling locations to provide interpretation services for hearing impaired voters.

In Nevada, 30% of the population speaks a language other than English at home — a rate 7.5% higher than the national average, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Supporters say this bill, while meant to increase accessibility, also serves a purpose of celebrating multilingualism.

“I didn’t learn English first. I learned Thai first,” González said. “And so I think that it definitely is also reaffirming to people about their identity.”

Despite passing the Nevada Assembly (42-14) and Senate (21-15) during the 2023 session, the proposal was vetoed by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. While acknowledging the legislation as “well-intended,” Lombardo maintained that existing state laws adequately addressed language accessibility requirements under federal standards — a position firmly contested by the bill’s advocates, who argue current provisions fall short of genuine electoral inclusion.

“Since Nevada is compliant with federal law and local officers are already empowered to provide election materials in additional languages at their discretion, I cannot support this bill,” Lombardo wrote.

The revised proposal includes establishing a language access coordinator within the secretary of state’s office, while the previous iteration asked for the role to exist in the governor’s Director of the Office for New Americans. The newer version also features a provision explicitly requiring all election-related communications and information to be made available in Spanish.

Translations aren’t a perfect science. Nevada Deputy Secretary of State for Elections Mark Wlaschin said the office has grappled with the task of how to guarantee accuracy, given that regional dialects within the same language can hold varying meanings. 

“It is a dialogue. We talk to community leaders, our clerks and registrars across the state,” Wlaschin said at the hearing. “If the feedback they get is, ‘This is close, but not quite meeting the mark,’ then we eagerly adjust to make sure it meets the needs of the electorate.”

President Donald Trump issued an executive order March 1 declaring English the official language of the U.S., which advocates have warned would create further accessibility gaps for those who aren’t proficient.

“A nationally designated language is at the core of a unified and cohesive society,” Trump’s order said. “And the United States is strengthened by a citizenry that can freely exchange ideas in one shared language.”

Iris Stone, who called into the hearing to oppose, echoed Trump’s sentiment that a national language creates unity and said the government would make a better use of its resources providing English classes for those interested.

“I personally immigrated many years ago to America,” Stone said. “And I was anxious to learn English so that I could assimilate into society, get a job, make new friends.”

[email protected] / 702-990-8923 / @haajrahgilani