Statewide ballot measure titles in 2026 required an average reading level equivalent to 17 years of education, according to Ballotpedia's analysis. While this marks a decrease from a record 21 years in 2025, comprehension hurdles persist for the average American adult reading at an eighth-grade level. In response, Colorado voters are considering Amendment 85 to mandate an eighth-grade readability cap for future ballot measures.
National ballot title reading levels
- ▪In 2026, statewide ballot measure titles across 40 states required an average reading level equivalent to 17 years of education, down from a record high of 21 years in 2025.
- ▪The 2026 average ballot title reading level of 17 years was 1.2 grade levels below the 10-year average of 18.2 tracked by Ballotpedia since 2017.
Highest and lowest ballot reading levels
- ▪Colorado had the highest average ballot title reading level in 2026 at 33 years of education across 14 measures, while Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Tennessee had the lowest average at 10 years.
- ▪Colorado Amendment 83 had the highest individual ballot title grade level score in 2026 at a 48th-grade level, while Idaho's Official State Gun Question had the lowest at a fifth-grade level.
Ballot title word counts
- ▪Alaska Ballot Measure 3 had the shortest individual ballot title in 2026 at five words, proposing that only United States citizens may vote in state elections.
- ▪In 2026, average ballot title word counts nationwide averaged 81 words, ranging from nine words in Alaska to 598 words in Kansas.
Readability by title origin
- ▪In 2026, citizen-initiated ballot measures required an average reading level of 18 years of education, compared to 17 years for legislatively referred measures.
- ▪State boards produced the highest average ballot title reading grade level in 2026 at 29 years of education, while secretaries of state and lieutenant governors produced the lowest average at 13 years.
Ballotpedia readability formulas
- ▪In 2026, statewide ballot measure titles across 40 states received an average Flesch Reading Ease score of 18.
- ▪Ballotpedia evaluates ballot title accessibility using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and Flesch Reading Ease formulas, which assess language structure such as word length and sentence structure rather than conceptual complexity.
Colorado ballot title writing practices
- ▪Ballotpedia's readability analysis since 2017 highlights Colorado ballot titles as among the hardest to read in the nation, historically averaging 27 years of education required.
- ▪Colorado's State Title Board, composed of three appointees from the secretary of state, attorney general, and Office of Legislative Legal Services, writes ballot questions for citizen initiatives as single sentences averaging 85 words.
- ▪Federal plain-language guidance recommends writing sentences that average 15 to 20 words, whereas 2026 Colorado ballot questions averaged 85 words written as single 'yes' or 'no' sentences.
Colorado 2026 ballot questions
- ▪Colorado's 2026 ballot featured 14 ballot questions, marking the highest number of ballot questions in state history.
- ▪In CBS Colorado's readability testing of 2026 ballot titles, half of Colorado's 14 measures required 13 or more years of education to understand easily, while the remaining half required at least 10 years.
Provisions of Colorado Amendment 85
- ▪Colorado Amendment 85 prohibits laws from requiring specific wording in citizen-initiated ballot titles if that wording interferes with readability requirements.
- ▪Colorado Amendment 85 would amend the Colorado Constitution to require state and local ballot titles to be written at no higher than an eighth-grade reading level.
- ▪Colorado Amendment 85 requires a 55% supermajority voter approval to pass because it amends the Colorado state constitution.
Testing and opposition to Amendment 85
- ▪CBS Colorado tested Amendment 85 using readability formulas and found its own text scored at an 11th-grade reading level due to legal phrasing like 'in connection therewith.'
- ▪Opponents of Colorado Amendment 85 argue existing plain-language laws are sufficient, warning the measure could provoke legal challenges and prevent laws that add critical contextual information.
Kansas Supreme Court Amendment
- ▪In August 2026, Kansas voters defeated the Elections for Supreme Court Justices Amendment, with 61% of voters opposing the measure.
- ▪Kansas state law requires the full legal text of constitutional amendments to be printed as the ballot title, resulting in a 927-word title for the Kansas Elections for Supreme Court Justices Amendment in August 2026.
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