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Colorado · November 3, 2026 general election · Statewide ballot measure

Amendment 85: what your vote means

Plain language ballot titles. On every Colorado ballot. Official sources checked October 22, 2026.

Amendment 85 · Citizen-initiated constitutional amendment (needs 55% to pass)

Plain language ballot titles

Official ballot title (quoted exactly)

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?

Ballot title as printed in the 2026 State Ballot Information Booklet (Blue Book), Colorado Legislative Council Staff.

A YES vote means:

All state and local ballot questions would have to be written in plain language at no more than an eighth-grade reading level, and no state law could require conflicting language for citizen initiatives.

A NO vote means:

Current law, which requires plain language in ballot titles without a specific reading-level standard, stays as it is.

What it would change

  • Who is affected: the state Title Board, local governments that write ballot questions, and measure proponents.
  • Taxes and fees: none.
  • Fiscal impact (Legislative Council Staff): may minimally increase Title Board workload.

Official arguments, summarized

Short neutral summaries of the arguments printed in the official voters’ pamphlet. The committees that wrote them are responsible for their content. Read the full text at the link below.

Argument for

Supporters say an eighth-grade reading standard would make ballot titles easier for voters to understand and would keep future legislatures from adding confusing language to initiative titles.

Argument against

Opponents say current law already requires plain-language titles, that the new standard is vague and could lead to more title challenges, and that it could block laws that add useful information to ballot titles.

Arguments for and against Amendment 85, 2026 Blue Book, Colorado Legislative Council Staff (PDF, p. 28)

Who supports it and who opposes it

These lists come from official campaign filings (registered committees) and public endorsements, each linked to its source. They are not complete, and SaveYourState does not endorse anyone listed. Lists checked October 30, 2026.

Who supports it

Who opposes it

Official sources

SaveYourState is independent and nonpartisan, not a government site, and does not take positions on ballot measures. This explainer describes effects only, using the official ballot title, explanatory statement, full text, and fiscal impact statement. If anything here differs from those documents, the official documents control.