(a) Whenever a city, county, or city and county is required by Section 203 (52 U.S.C. Sec. 10503) or Section 4(f)(4) (52 U.S.C. Sec. 10303(f)(4)) of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 to provide a translation of ballot materials in a language other than English, the Secretary of State shall provide a translation of the ballot title and summary prepared pursuant to Sections 9050 and 9051 and of the ballot label prepared pursuant to Section 13247 in that language to the city, county, or city and county for each state measure submitted to the voters in a statewide election not later than 68 days before that election.

(b) When preparing a translation in a language other than English pursuant to subdivision (a), the Secretary of State shall consult with an advisory body consisting of language experts and nonpartisan organizations that advocate on behalf of, or provide services to, individuals that speak that language.

(c) All translations prepared pursuant to this section shall be made available for public examination in the same time and manner as the state voter information guide is made available for public examination in accordance with Section 88006 of the Government Code and Section 9092 of this code.

(d) The local elections official shall use that translation of the ballot label on the state voter information guide and the official ballot and may not select or contract with another person to provide translations of the same text.

(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 422, Sec. 18. (AB 2911) Effective January 1, 2017.)