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Our call — vote NO
The measure
This is a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment. Amendments 81–86 require 55% of the vote to pass. It requires ballot questions to be written in plain language at no more than an eighth-grade reading level, and prohibits any law from interfering with that requirement. Current law already requires plain language for ballot titles but sets no grade-level standard, per the Blue Book summary.
What YES does
A YES vote adds the specific eighth-grade ceiling to the existing plain-language requirement and constitutionalizes it.
What NO does
A NO vote keeps the current plain-language requirement without a defined reading level.
The math
The Blue Book's fiscal analysis, as reproduced in the guide cited below, identifies no change to any tax, TABOR refund, or revenue destination for this measure. No dollar fiscal estimate is published for it.
OUR CALL
Our call: no call.
This is a purely procedural drafting rule. Clearer ballot language is a genuine good, and the current statute already requires plain language; the open question — who measures an eighth-grade level, and what happens to a measure that misses it — is a litigation risk the text does not answer. It neither restrains nor grows government in a way our rubric prices, so we make no call and flag the enforcement gap for voters to weigh.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.
Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Sources
- Ballotpedia, List of Colorado ballot measures — https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_Colorado_ballot_measures
- Colorado 2026 State Ballot Information Booklet (Blue Book), Legislative Council Staff, as reproduced in the Colorado 2026 ballot measures guide — https://whipplewood.com/insights/colorado-2026-ballot-measures-guide/
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.