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

Rhode Island Statutes

§ 17-19-54 — § 17-19-54. Bilingual voting material requirements.

Rhode Island § 17-19-54

Title 17Elections

Ch. 17-19Conduct of Election and Voting Equipment, and Supplies

This text of Rhode Island § 17-19-54 (§ 17-19-54. Bilingual voting material requirements.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Rhode Island primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-54 (2026).

Text

§ 17-19-54. Bilingual voting material requirements.
(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 bilingual voting 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 age of a city or town are members
            of a single language minority and are limited-English proficient; or
         
(2)(i) More than ten thousand (10,000) of the citizens of voting age of a city or town are
            members of a sing

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§ 17-19-54. Bilingual voting material requirements.

(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 bilingual voting 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 age of a city or town are members of a single language minority and are limited-English proficient; or

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

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

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

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

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