1. (1) This rule governs the required translation of certain state voters’ pamphlet materials by the Secretary of State for elections in which the Secretary of State produces a voters’ pamphlet.
2. (2) Pursuant to ORS 251.167 and ORS 251.170, the Secretary of State translates certain state and county voters’ pamphlet information from English into the most commonly spoken languages in the state and each county other than English and posts the translations publicly on the Secretary of State’s website.

3. (3) In each state voters’ pamphlet, the Secretary of State will include a plain language statement stating that portions of the pamphlet have been translated and specifying the website address where the translated material may be found.

   1. (a) The statement will be provided in English and in each of the languages other than English the state voters’ pamphlet will be translated into.
   2. (b) The statement will appear in the state voters’ pamphlet on the page immediately following the Secretary of State’s letter to voters or other similar introductory statement. If the state voters’ pamphlet does not include a letter from the Secretary of State or other similar official communication, the statement will be prominently placed on the page immediately before the table of contents page of the state voters’ pamphlet.

4. (4) In addition to the information required to be translated under ORS 251.170(2), the Secretary of State will translate the following information into each language other than English the state voters’ pamphlet will be translated into:

   1. (a) Resources for voters with disabilities and the right of an elector to seek assistance in marking their ballot;
   2. (b) Contact information for county elections offices.

5. (5) Filings of translated statements or arguments submitted under ORS 251.170(3) shall meet the following requirements:

   1. (a) The filing must be filed using the electronic filing system adopted by the Secretary of State and all associated forms and procedures under OAR 165-016-0000.
   2. (b) Translations must meet the requirements of ORS 251.049, 251.055, 251.085, 251.170, and 251.260 and OAR 165-016-0000. Translations that fail to meet compliance requirements may be excluded from the translated pamphlet under ORS 251.055 and OAR 165-016-0000.
6. (6) The filing must be translated prior to being filed and the filers shall bear the cost of said translations.
7. (7) For counties that do not produce a county voters’ pamphlet, the Secretary of State shall translate community college district measures relating to bonding, and metropolitan service district measures, according to ORS 251.285 for inclusion in translated state voters’ pamphlet. Translations shall be in the most commonly spoken languages other than English for the county or counties in which the measure(s) are to be voted on.

8. (8) A county may translate any portion of the state voters’ pamphlet or accept translations for publication that are not described in this rule for publication on the county’s website.

   1. (a) The county shall bear the cost of translations, if applicable, and publishing on the county’s website.
   2. (b) The county’s translations, if any, shall follow the requirements of OAR 165-024-0020, and shall use the translated terms from the Secretary of State’s Translated Elections Glossaries.

Statutory/Other Authority

ORS 246.150, ORS 251.167 & ORS 251.170

Statutes/Other Implemented

ORS 251.026, ORS 251.167 & ORS 251.170

History

ELECT 8-2026, amend filed 03/04/2026, effective 03/09/2026
ELECT 8-2025, temporary amend filed 09/11/2025, effective 09/11/2025 through 03/09/2026
ELECT 6-2023, adopt filed 01/10/2023, effective 01/11/2023
ELECT 30-2022, temporary adopt filed 08/31/2022, effective 09/01/2022 through 02/26/2023