OAR 165-024-0010: Translation Advisory Council

(1) The Secretary of State shall select and appoint the members of the Council, shall provide administrative support to the Council, and shall consult with the Council concerning Community Validation of Selected Voters’ Pamphlet Material and the process of translating such materials. The Secretary may consult with the Council on other matters as needed to support the Secretary’s translation work. (2) Council members are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Secretary. (3) Council members serve on a volunteer basis and are not employees or contractors of the Secretary of State. (4) The Council shall be comprised as follows: (a) The Secretary shall appoint five Council members at large; and (b) The Secretary shall appoint additional language-specific Council members based on their lived experience in English and a language into which the Secretary reasonably anticipates voters’ pamphlet material will be translated. The Secretary will choose the numbers of language-specific members based on the relative representation of those languages within Oregon. (5) The qualifications of Council members shall be as follows: (a) Council members are not appointed on a partisan basis, and they do not serve as representatives of any organization. (b) To the extent possible, membership in the Council shall include the racial, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, social, and geographic diversity found throughout Oregon. (c) All Council members shall be residents of Oregon according to the criteria listed in ORS 247.035. (d) All Council members shall have lived experience in one or more of the communities served by translation of voters’ pamphlet material. (e) In addition to meeting all other criteria, language-specific members shall be proficient in reading and writing in English and in the translated language for which the language-specific member is appointed. Language-specific members may demonstrate proficiency through their lived experience or through formal qualifications, including but not limited to the credentials described in ORS 251.173. (6) Council members shall be appointed as follows: (a) When appointing or reappointing Council members or when filling mid-term vacancies during a Council member’s term, the Secretary shall announce the need to fill the vacancy and solicit applications by a published deadline. The Secretary shall maintain all applications on file and select appointees from the pool of all past and current applicants. (b) Council members shall apply to the Council through a written application that demonstrates how they meet the criteria for appointment. (c) Members shall not be reappointed automatically but must seek reappointment through the application process. (d) If a member vacancy occurs mid-term, the Secretary shall make an appointment for the unexpired term, to be effective immediately upon appointment. (7) Members shall be compensated for time spent preparing for and attending Council meetings and shall be reimbursed for travel expenses. Compensation and reimbursement shall be no less than the statutory per diem compensation amount in ORS 292.495 and provided consistently with the policies of the Secretary of State.