2026 Colorado Amendment 85

Amendment 85
November 3, 2026
Plain Language Ballot Titles

2026 Colorado Amendment 85 is a proposed ballot measure that appears before Colorado voters during the 2026 general election. This citizen-initiated ballot measure would require that the language used on Colorado ballots be at or below an 8th grade reading level. This measure would also prohibit state statutes that conflict with this amendment.

Background

The current Colorado law requires that ballot questions be written in plain English but does not have any requirements of reading level. An analysis by Ballotpedia found that Colorado's ballots are higher than a 20th-grade reading level. This amendment would apply to both citizen-initiated measures and legislative ballot measures. Other states in the United States have laws similar to this amendment including New York and Rhode Island. In 2026, Colorado passed HB26-1320 that requires that ballot language must be accessible without specifications about reading level in the bill's language.

This measure was initiated by Advance Colorado, which is a conservative political non-profit. The support for this measure is bi-partisan, but not unanimous. Groups in favor of this amendment are looking for a specific benchmark for readability of ballot language. Opponents of this amendment support HB26-1320, they are against the addition to the Colorado Constitution and also argue leaving the issue of readability in the hands of Colorado lawmakers.

Contents

The proposition appears on the ballot as follows:

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?

Yes means: Requiring all ballot language to be at or below an 8th grade level and prohibits any law from interfering with that.

No means: Maintaining current laws for ballots to be written in plain, accessible language without any reading level requirement.

Campaigns

'Yes'
Newspapers
Elected Officials
Organizations
  • Advance Colorado
  • Courageous Colorado
  • The African Leadership Group
  • Brighter Colorado
'No'
Organizations

Results

Results will begin to be published after the polls close on November 3rd, 2026 at 7:00 pm. Amendment 85 requires a 55% majority to pass.

Choice
For
Against
Total

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "2026 State Ballot Information Booklet" (PDF). Colorado General Assembly. Legislative Council Staff. 2026-09-21.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Slevin, Colleen (2026-10-03). "Amendment 85: Colorado voters will decide whether ballot measures must be understandable to an 8th grader". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  3. 1 2 3 Markus, Ben (2026-09-25). "Amendment 85: 'Plain Language Ballot Questions'". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  4. 1 2 3 "CBS Colorado put all 14 ballot questions to a readability test - many of them failed - CBS Colorado". www.cbsnews.com. 2026-10-13. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  5. 1 2 3 "No on 84 / Yes on 85". Courageous Colorado Action. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  6. ↑ "HB26-1320 Accessible Language Statutory Ballot Title Requirements". Colorado General Assembly.
  7. ↑ "Amendments and Propositions on the 2026 Ballot". www.coloradosos.gov. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  8. 1 2 "No on Amendment 85". Boulder Progressives. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  9. ↑ Dean, Cameron (2026-10-07). "Amendment 85 aims to simplify Colorado ballot question language". KKTV. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  10. ↑ "Yes on Amendment 85 because voters should understand what they're voting on (Editorial)". The Denver Post. 2026-10-03. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  11. ↑ "How to Vote on Colorado's 2026 Ballot Measures". Colorado Democratic Party. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  12. 1 2 "Colorado Amendment 85, Require Plain Language and Eighth-Grade Reading Level for Ballot Measures Initiative (2026)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  13. ↑ "Legislative Action; Lobbyist; Lobbying; Volunteer; LAC; Stances (Copy) - League of Women Voters of Colorado". lwvcolorado.org. Retrieved 2026-10-15.