Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 3, March 1, 2024
(1) This rule
governs the required translation of Selected County Voters' Pamphlet Materials
by the Secretary of State for all primary, general, and special
elections.
(2) The Secretary of
State shall translate Selected County Voters' Pamphlet Materials from English
into the County List of Languages and shall post the translations publicly on
the Secretary of State's website.
(3) The Secretary of State shall bear the
cost of translating and posting the portions of the county voters' pamphlets
described in this rule.
(4) The
Secretary of State shall provide county elections officials with a plain
language statement concerning translation of county voters pamphlet materials,
for inclusion in each County Voters Pamphlet.
(a) The statement shall be provided in
English and in each of the County List of Languages.
(b) The statement shall notify the public
that portions of the County Voters Pamphlet have been translated and shall
identify where to find the translation.
(5) County elections officials shall do the
following:
(a) Include the plain language
statement concerning voters' pamphlet translations in the County Voters'
Pamphlet;
(A) The plain language statement
shall appear in the County Voters' Pamphlet on the page immediately following
the county election official's letter to voters or other similar introductory
statement;
(B) If a county voters'
pamphlet does not include a county elections official's letter or other similar
introductory statement, this information shall be prominently placed as close
as possible to the cover page of the pamphlet.
(b) Include the plain language statement
prominently on the county elections website, together with live hyperlinks
directing the public to translated voters' pamphlet material.
(c) Provide county voters pamphlet material
to the Secretary of State for translation on the timeline specified in this
rule.
(6) The Secretary
of State shall cause the following Selected County Voters Pamphlet Material to
be translated:
(a) County pamphlet general
information including:
(A) County elections
official's letter to voters or other official communication by a county clerk,
filing officer or other public elections officials;
(B) Elections office services;
(C) Key dates of the election;
(D) Requirements for a citizen to qualify as
an elector;
(E) Requirements for
voter registration and how to update registration;
(F) How to cast a ballot;
(G) The right of an elector to request a
second ballot if the first is spoiled;
(H) The right of an elector to seek
assistance in marking the ballot;
(I) The hours and locations of places to
deposit official ballots; and
(J)
Any maps deemed necessary by the county;
(b) Ballot measure information including:
(A) Ballot title;
(B) Explanatory statement; and
(C) Statements created by state, local and
special government bodies.
(7) The Secretary of State adopts the
following timelines and coordinates with county elections officials as needed
to ensure timely and high-quality translations in county voters' pamphlets:
(a) The county elections official shall
provide the Secretary of State with county pamphlet general information for
translation no later than the 82nd day before the date of the
election.
(b) The county elections
official shall provide minor changes to county pamphlet general information for
translation no later than the 55th day before the date of the election. The
final edits must clearly indicate which text was revised from the previously
submitted version.
(c) The county
elections official shall provide the Secretary of State with county ballot
measure information for translation no later than the 55th day before the date
of the election.
(d) The Secretary
of State shall provide the county elections official the plain language
statement for inclusion in the county voters pamphlet, together with any other
official information to assist voters concerning translated material, no later
than the 54th day before the election.
(e) The Secretary of State shall post
translated county voters' pamphlet materials on the Secretary of State's
website no later than the 27th day before the election.
(8) A county may translate any portion of the
county voters' pamphlet or accept translations for publication that are not
described in this rule for publication on the County's website or in the mailed
voters' pamphlet.
(a) The county shall bear
the cost of making such additional translations and publishing them on the
County's website or in the mailed voters' pamphlet.
(b) Any translation conducted by the county
shall be according to the criteria in OAR 165-024-0020.
Statutory/Other Authority: HB3021, ORS
247.005, ORS
246.150, ORS
251.026, ORS
251.167, ORS
251.170, ORS
251.173 & ORS
251.315
Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS
251.170 & ORS
251.315
