Language requirements for election materials are governed under the federal Voting Rights Act and the state Elections Code.
Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act requires that in certain situations (counties where more than 10,000 or 5% of all total voting-age citizens who are members of a single language minority group, have depressed literacy rates, and do not speak English very well) election materials that are available in English must also be made available in the language of particular minority group. Section 203 targets those language minorities that have suffered a history of exclusion from the political process: Spanish-heritage, Asian, Native American, and Alaskan Native.
The U.S. Census Bureau identifies the specific language groups for states and county jurisdictions, based on census information, every 5 years. The latest Section 203 determination was December 8, 2021. The next determination is expected in December 2026.
For more information on Section 203, please visit the Department of Justice’s website: https://www.justice.gov/crt/about-language-minority-voting-rights.
California Elections Code section 14201 further requires that county elections officials provide a translated facsimile ballot and related instructions in a conspicuous location in precincts where 3% or more of the voting-age residents are members of a single language minority and lack sufficient skills in English to vote without assistance. The Secretary of State is required to make these Section 14201 determinations by January 1 of each year in which the governor is elected.
For more information on Section 14201: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=ELEC§ionNum=14201.
The chart below identifies the language requirements for each county under Section 203 of the federal Voting Rights Act and Elections Code section 14201. Please note that this chart is based upon 2024 precinct information and data, as previously provided by the California Statewide Database at U.C. Berkeley. The requirements provided in the chart will remain in place through December 31, 2029. The next determinations will be issued by January 1, 2030.
For additional translation resources, please see our website at: https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/voting-california.
| Ballot Translations and Posting Requirements Summary by County Based on 2024 General Election Precincts Effective: January 1, 2026, for Elections on June 2, 2026, and thereafter | ||
|---|---|---|
|
||
| County | Section 203 (Federal) | 14201 |
| Alameda | Chinese (includes Taiwanese) Hispanic Filipino Vietnamese |
Bengali Burmese Chinese lu Mien Japanese Khmer Korean Malay Mongolian Punjabi Spanish Tagalog Urdu Vietnamese |
| Alpine | Spanish | |
| Amador | Spanish | |
| Butte | Chinese Hmong lu Mien Korean Spanish |
|
| Calaveras | Spanish | |
| Colusa | Hispanic | Spanish |
| Contra Costa | Chinese (includes Taiwanese) Hispanic |
Chinese Hindi Japanese Korean Lao Nepali Spanish Tagalog Urdu Vietnamese |
| Del Norte | Spanish Thai |
|
| El Dorado | Indonesian Korean Spanish Tagalog Telugu |
|
| Fresno | Hispanic | Arabic** Chinese Hmong Khmer Korean Lao Punjabi Spanish Tagalog Urdu Vietnamese |
| Glenn | Hispanic | Spanish |
| Humboldt | Hmong Spanish Vietnamese |
|
| Imperial | Hispanic | Korean Spanish |
| Inyo | Spanish | |
| Kern | Hispanic | Bengali Chinese Khmer Korean Punjabi Spanish Tagalog Vietnamese |
| Kings | Hispanic | Chinese (Mandarin) Spanish Tagalog |
| Lake | Spanish | |
| Lassen | Spanish | |
| Los Angeles | Cambodian Chinese (includes Taiwanese) Korean Hispanic Filipino Vietnamese |
Armenian** Bengali Burmese Chinese Farsi** Hmong Indonesian Japanese Khmer Korean Lao Mongolian Nepali Punjabi Spanish Tagalog Thai Urdu Vietnamese |
| Madera | Hispanic | Chinese Punjabi Spanish |
| Marin | Chinese Spanish Vietnamese |
|
| Mariposa | Spanish | |
| Mendocino | Spanish Vietnamese |
|
| Merced | Hispanic | Hmong Punjabi Spanish Thai |
| Modoc | Khmer Spanish |
|
| Mono | Spanish | |
| Monterey | Hispanic | Korean Spanish Tagalog |
| Napa | Hispanic | Hindi Spanish Tagalog |
| Nevada | Khmer Spanish |
|
| Orange | Chinese (includes Taiwanese) Korean Hispanic Vietnamese |
Chinese |
| Placer |
Punjabi |
|
| Plumas | Spanish | |
| Riverside | Hispanic | Chinese Hmong Japanese Korean Punjabi Spanish Tagalog Thai Urdu Vietnamese |
| Sacramento |
Chinese (includes Taiwanese) Vietnamese |
Chinese |
| San Benito | Hispanic | Spanish |
| San Bernardino | Hispanic | Chinese Hindi Indonesian Khmer Korean Lao Malay Nepali Spanish Tagalog Thai Vietnamese |
| San Diego | Chinese (includes Taiwanese) Hispanic Filipino Vietnamese |
Arabic** |
| San Francisco | Chinese (includes Taiwanese) Hispanic |
Bengali |
| San Joaquin | Hispanic | Burmese Chinese Hmong lu Mien Khmer Korean Lao Pashto Punjabi Spanish Tagalog Thai Vietnamese |
| San Luis Obispo |
Chinese (Mandarin) |
|
| San Mateo |
Chinese (includes Taiwanese) Filipino |
Burmese |
| Santa Barbara | Hispanic | Chinese Korean Spanish Tagalog Vietnamese |
| Santa Clara | Chinese (includes Taiwanese) Hispanic Filipino Vietnamese |
Chinese |
| Santa Cruz | Japanese Spanish Thai |
|
| Shasta | Chinese Punjabi Spanish |
|
| Sierra | None | |
| Siskiyou | Lao Spanish |
|
| Solano |
Chinese |
|
| Sonoma | Hispanic |
Chinese |
| Stanislaus | Hispanic |
Chinese |
| Sutter |
Hmong |
|
| Tehama | Spanish | |
| Trinity | Spanish | |
| Tulare | Hispanic |
Chinese |
| Tuolumne | Spanish | |
| Ventura | Hispanic |
Chinese |
| Yolo |
Chinese |
|
| Yuba |
Hmong |
|
Past Determinations
- CCROV #22039 Reinstated Languages Required under California Elections Code section 14201, Language Minority Determinations
- CCROV #21221 Language Requirements: 14201, Language Minority Determinations
- CCROV #21204 Language Requirements: Voting Rights Act, Section 203 Language Minority Determinations
- CCROV #20096 Additional Languages Required under California Elections Code section 14201, Language Minority Determinations
- CCROV #17148 Language Requirements: 14201, Language Minority Determinations
- CCROV #16333 Language Requirements: Voting Rights Act, Section 203 Language Minority Determinations
