 Notice of Temporary Administrative Order
OAR 165-016-0000
Designating the State Voters’ Pamphlet Manual and Forms
The Election Division hereby provides notice of rulemaking activity for OAR 165-016-0000. More information may be found below and on our website.
This temporary rule went into effect August 20, 2026.
RULE TEXT: The rule text may be found at this link.
RULE SUMMARY:
Changes to this rule and the related manual allow filers to email required attachments when the Oregon Election System for Tracking or Reporting’s (ORESTAR) security features prevent PDF uploads. These occasional upload failures may prevent filers from completing their submissions or prevent them from including PDFs with their submission, such as statements of endorsement or translations. The rule changes permit email submission of these attachments and create a process for filers to request the Elections Division accept late submissions that occur as a direct result of a PDF upload issue.
NEED FOR TEMPORARY RULE:
The changes to this rule would allow filers to email copies of PDF files to accompany their voters’ pamphlet submission instead of requiring that they be uploaded on ORESTAR. The changes to this rule also create a process by which the Elections Division will consider accepting late voters’ pamphlet submissions that occur as a direct result of an issue uploading PDFs.
These changes are needed because ORESTAR’s security features occasionally prevent filers from uploading PDF documents. Without these changes, filers may be prevented from uploading important documents with no alternative submission method or exception to the electronic filing requirement.
JUSTIFICATION FOR TEMPORARY RULE:
The Secretary of State, Elections Division, finds that the failure to act promptly will result in serious prejudice to the public interest. The State Voters’ Pamphlet is a critical resource for voters to learn about candidates, measures, election deadlines, and other election information.
If the changes aren’t in place ahead of the voters’ pamphlet filing deadline for the general election, filers could be prevented from including important documents with their submission and would have no alternative submission method. Further, without a process to consider accepting certain late submissions, filers with submissions filed late as a direct result of a PDF upload issue would not have a mechanism to be included in the voters’ pamphlet. Under either of these circumstances, voters would lose access to information relevant to the general election.
The changes to this rule document the process and criteria that will be used, ensuring a transparent filing process that will apply to all filers.
DOCUMENTS RELIED UPON & WHERE THEY ARE AVAILABLE:
None.
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