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Amendment 85 would require Colorado state and local ballot questions to use plain language at no more than an eighth-grade reading level. It would also prevent state law from forcing citizen initiatives to use wording that conflicts with that rule. The goal is simple: help voters understand their ballot choice.
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Amendment 85 would put a clear language standard in Colorado’s Constitution. State and local ballot questions would have to use plain language at no more than an eighth-grade reading level. State law also could not force citizen initiatives to use wording that conflicts with that rule. The measure would not tell anyone how to vote or decide what future ballot measures do. It focuses on the words voters see when making a choice. Because Amendment 85 would change the state constitution, it needs at least 55% approval. Colorado voters will decide in 2026. Read official sources before making your choice.
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Colorado voters make important choices on taxes, public services, rights, and changes to state law. The question printed on a ballot should help people understand those choices. Long ballot sentences and technical legal wording can make it harder for voters to see clearly what a measure means.
Amendment 85 would add a clear standard to the Colorado Constitution. State and local ballot questions would have to use plain language at no more than an eighth-grade reading level. State law also could not require citizen initiatives to use wording that conflicts with that clarity rule.
The amendment is about how ballot questions are written. It would not tell anyone how to vote. It would not decide what future measures do. It would not create a new state agency. Its one-sentence text also does not name a specific readability formula or a new decision-maker. Those implementation details would need to be handled in a clear, consistent, and public way.
Colorado already took a step toward more accessible ballot language through HB26-1320. Amendment 85 would go further by putting an explicit eighth-grade limit in the state constitution. Because it is a constitutional amendment, it needs at least 55% approval.
Amendment 85 is expected on Colorado’s 2026 ballot. Voters deserve to see what it would change, ask how the standard would work, and read the official source documents before making a decision. Clear ballot questions give every voter a fairer chance to understand the choice in front of them. Official sources are linked below.
Official sources
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Amendment 85 — Initiative #234, Plain Language Ballot Questions
Colorado Secretary of State
Initiative #234 Final Text
Colorado Secretary of State
Initiative #234 Fiscal Impact Statement
Colorado General Assembly
HB26-1320 — Accessible Language Statutory Ballot Title Requirements
Colorado General Assembly
Sourced FAQ
These answers name what the amendment says and where implementation details still matter.
Amendment 85 sets an eighth-grade ceiling, but its one-sentence constitutional text does not name a specific readability formula. A clear and consistent implementation process would still need to define how the standard is applied.
The amendment does not create a new agency or name a new decision-maker. Colorado’s existing ballot process would still matter, and the standard would need to be applied transparently and consistently.
Sources: Final initiative text (external link), Fiscal impact statement (external link)
HB26-1320 directs the Title Board to use accessible language understood by the widest possible audience. Amendment 85 would go further by placing an explicit eighth-grade ceiling in the Colorado Constitution.
Sources: Final initiative text (external link), Enacted legislation (external link)
Any new constitutional standard can raise implementation questions. Amendment 85’s text does not specify a readability formula, so clear and consistent rules would matter.
Sources: Final initiative text (external link), Fiscal impact statement (external link)
Amendment 85 governs how ballot questions are written. It does not decide the policy contained in a future measure, although it would prevent state laws from requiring initiative-title wording that conflicts with its clarity rules.
Amendment 85 would add language to the Colorado Constitution. Colorado’s official ballot listing therefore identifies it as requiring at least 55% approval.
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<p><strong>Amendment 85</strong> would require Colorado ballot questions to use plain language at no more than an eighth-grade reading level. <a href="https://voteyeson85.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn what it would change and read the official sources.</a></p>Keep the conversation going
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Colorado ballots should help voters understand the choice. Amendment 85 would set a plain-language, eighth-grade reading-level standard for state and local ballot questions. Learn what it would change and read the official sources.
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Amendment 85 asks a simple question: should Colorado ballot questions be written so more voters can understand them? The measure would require plain language at no more than an eighth-grade reading level while protecting citizen initiatives from conflicting wording rules. See how it works, what it does not do, and the questions that still deserve clear answers.
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A vote should not require a law degree. Amendment 85 would put a plain-language standard for ballot questions in Colorado’s Constitution. Help more voters understand the proposal: read the one-sentence text, explore the sourced FAQ, and share the facts with your community.