Nevada Secretary of State announces new Language Access Plan

On Dec. 23, Secretary of State Francisco V. Aguilar announced the release of the Nevada Secretary of State’s 2025-2027 Language Access Plan (LAP). The LAP is now available on the agency’s website in English and Spanish. The plan will help make government services accessible to Silver State residents with limited English proficiency (LEP).

“We are committed to ensuring that every Nevadan—regardless of the language they speak—can access our services with clarity and confidence,” said Aguilar in a press release. “Too many government services are too hard to understand, even in English, and our priority is to make the Secretary of State’s Office accessible across the board. This plan reflects not just a legal responsibility, but our values as a public-facing agency.”

Different from other language plans that primarily center on translation, the Nevada Secretary of State’s LAP focuses on the prominence of plain language so its content is easy for residents to understand.

“In a significant step forward for the Secretary of State’s Office, the agency established its first dedicated language access position to lead the development of a comprehensive, agency-wide Language Access Program,” the press release stated. “While many divisions have long supported language accessibility through translation, interpretation and outreach efforts, this new role represents a strategic and sustained commitment to ensuring language equity across all services and public-facing programs.”

Now that the LAP is active, the Nevada Secretary of State Office is encouraging review and seeking feedback from the public through a 30-day comment period. Comments about the new LAP can be submitted through an online form available at nvsos.gov/sos/sos-information/language-access.

“Over a six-month period, the Language Access Coordinator led an extensive discovery process, which included internal staff surveys, division-level assessments, and direct engagement with community stakeholders,” the press release explained further. “These efforts informed the development of a data-driven and community responsive Language Access Plan that reflects the linguistic diversity of Nevada and aligns with state and federally recognized best practices.”

For additional information or help, contact the Language Access Coordinator at vvancour@sos.nv.gov.

To learn more about the Nevada Secretary of State, visit nvsos.gov.

Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com