Voting Rights Language Assistance Act of 1992
PL 102-344 (H.R.4312), enacted 08/26/1992

PUBLIC LAW 102-344—AUG. 26, 1992 
106 STAT. 921 
Public Law 102-344 
102d Congress 
An Act 
To amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 with respect to bilingual election 
requirements. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of 
America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the **Voting Rights Language Assistance 
Act of 1992". 
SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF LANGUAGE MINORITY PROVISIONS. 
Subsection (b) of section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 
(42 U.S.C. 1973aa-la(b)) is amended to read a^i follows: 
"(b) BILINGUAL VOTING MATERIALS REQUIREMENT.— 
"(1) GENERALLY.—Before August 6, 2007, no covered State 
or political subdivision shall provide voting materials only in 
the English language. 
"(2) COVERED STATES AND POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS.— 
"(A) GENERALLY.—^A State or political subdivision is a 
covered State or political subdivision for the purposes of 
this subsection if the Director of the Census determines, 
based on census data, that— 
"(i)(I) more than 5 percent of the citizens of voting 
age of such State or political subdivision are members 
of a single language minority and are limited-English 
proficient; 
"(II) more than 10,000 of the citizens of voting age 
of such political subdivision are members of a single 
language minority and are limited-English proficient; 
or 
"(III) in the case of a political subdivision that con-
tains all or any part of an Indian reservation, more 
than 5 percent of the American Indian or Alaska Native 
citizens of voting age within the Indian reservation 
are members of a single language minority and are 
Umited-English proficient; and 
"(ii) the illiteracy rate of the citizens in the language 
minority as a group is higher than the national ilHt-
eracy rate. 
"(B) EXCEPTION.—The prohibitions of this subsection do 
not apply in any political subdivision that has less than 
5 percent voting age limited-English proficient citizens of 
each language minority which comprises over 5 percent 
of the statewide limited-English proficient population of 
voting age citizens, unless the political subdivision is a 
covered political subdivision independently from its State. 
"(3) DEFINITIONS.—^As used in this section— 
"(A) the term Voting materials' means registration or 
voting notices, forms, instructions, assistance, or other 
Aug. 26,1992 
[H.R. 4312] 
Voting Rights 
Language 
Assistance Act of 
1992. 
42 use 1971 
note. 
106 STAT. 922 
PUBLIC LAW 102-344—AUG. 26, 1992 
materials or information relating to the electoral process, 
including ballots; 
"(B) the term 'limited-English proficient' means unable 
to speak or understand English adequately enough to 
participate in the electoral process; 
"(C) the term 'Indian reservation' means any area that 
is an American Indian or Alaska Native area, as defined 
by the Census Bureau for the purposes of the 1990 decen-
nial census; 
"(D) the term 'citizens' means citizens of the United 
States; and 
"(E) the term 'illiteracy' means the failure to complete 
the 5th primary grade. 
Effective date. 
"(4) SPECIAL RULE.—The determinations of the Director of 
^^^^ 
the Census under this subsection shall be effective upon 
S^Stion 
publication in the Federal Register and shall not be subject 
to review in any court.". 
Approved August 26, 1992. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 4312 (S. 2236): 
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 102-655 (Comm. on the Judiciary). 
SENATE REPORTS: No. 102-315 accompanying S. 2236 (Comm. on the Judiciary). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 138 (1992): 
July 23, 24, considered and passed House. 
Aug. 6, 7, considered and paissed Senate.