Ballot questions you can actually read.
You're the one deciding, so you should understand the question the first time you read it. Amendment 85 requires every state and local ballot question to be written in plain language, at no more than an 8th-grade reading level.
You make the law. You should be able to read it.
Colorado voters decide big questions. The wording of the question shouldn't be the hard part.
This November, you'll vote on 14 statewide ballot questions, plus whatever your city, county, and school district add. Every one of those statewide questions is written as a single sentence. On average, that sentence is 85 words long. The longest runs 194 words.
Federal plain-language guidance says sentences should average 15 to 20 words. Every statewide question on this year's ballot is longer than that, and every one scores above a 12th-grade reading level.
Recommended average sentence: 15 to 20 words
Words per question, from the 2026 ballot titles certified by the Colorado Secretary of State. Tables not counted. Reading levels measured with the Flesch-Kincaid grade formula. Sentence guidance from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
If you need a lawyer to read the question, the question is the problem.
Ballot questions are written for voters, not attorneys. Everyone should be able to sit down at the kitchen table with their mail ballot and know exactly what a yes or a no will do.
Plain doesn't mean dumbed down.
Plain language is how good teachers, doctors, and reporters explain hard things. Short sentences. Common words. Say what it does, then stop.
Taxes, water, public safety, and elections can all be explained in the words Coloradans use every day. It takes more care from the people writing the question, and less guesswork from the people answering it.
| On your 2026 ballot | In plain words | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution |
Should we change the state constitution? | 6 questions |
Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes |
Should we change state law? | 6 questions |
and, in connection therewith, |
and | 10 questions |
as a voter-approved revenue change |
let the state keep money it would otherwise refund to taxpayers | 3 questions |
What Amendment 85 does
One clear rule for every question on your ballot, written where it lasts.
-
Every ballot question in plain language
State and local questions alike, whether they come from a citizen petition, the legislature, or your local government. Plain language means short sentences and everyday words.
-
No higher than an 8th‑grade reading level
A firm ceiling, not a suggestion. If a ballot question is too hard for an 8th grader to read, it doesn't meet the standard.
-
Required wording has to be plain, too
State laws can't force extra wording before, after, or inside a citizen measure's ballot question if that wording breaks the plain-language rule.
-
The facts still make the ballot
Tax impacts and other required information can still appear. They just have to be written so voters can understand them.
-
Voters control the rule
A law passed at the Capitol can be rewritten by the next legislature. Amendment 85 puts the plain-language standard in the Colorado Constitution, where only voters can change it.
What you'll see on your ballot
Look for Amendment 85, Plain Language Ballot Questions, and mark Yes/For.
Yes, this question is hard to read too. For citizen measures, the state Title Board writes the ballot question. Amendment 85 sets the standard every question after it will have to meet.
Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution concerning ballot question language, and, in connection therewith, requiring all state and local ballot questions to be written in plain language and at no more than an 8th grade reading level and prohibiting a state statute from requiring language that conflicts with these requirements in ballot questions for citizen-initiated measures?
Constitutional amendments need 55% of the vote to pass, so every yes counts.
Vote yes on Amendment 85.
Clear questions make for confident voters. Plain language on every ballot, every election, from now on.
- Starting on October 2nd
- Ballots are mailed to every registered Colorado voter.
- November 3, 2026
- Election Day. Ballots must be received by 7 p.m.
You've pledged to vote yes on 85.
Thank you. Check your ballot status anytime at GoVoteColorado.gov.