Ballot questions are hard to understand. Here are 6 ways to fix them.

When we talk to voters about the voting experience or ballot design at the Center for Civic Design, they always start by telling us the one thing we’ve never been able to fix: Ballot questions are confusing or even deceptively written. 

Ballot questions —  also called referendums, propositions, measures, or initiatives — allow citizens to vote on proposed changes to the way their government functions. 

Ballot questions are an important and empowering part of our democracy. But when voters can’t understand these questions, they are more likely to skip them and miss a chance to cast their vote, or misunderstand the question and vote against their own intent. Voters are also less likely to cast votes on the rest of the ballot after a confusingly worded question. Finally, voters tell us that when they experience problems like this, they lose confidence that their vote makes a difference.

Plain language best practices such as using short, simple sentences and active voice can help solve these problems, but there’s a limit to how effective these strategies are. In our research, we’ve looked beyond simply editing the text, and we have identified four of the most common ways ballot questions are consistently misleading or confusing. For each of these problems, we’ve identified concrete solutions legislatures can use to make ballot questions easier to understand.
 

Problem 1: Ballot questions are too long

Long and winding questions are difficult to follow, especially when the voter feels rushed or anxious in an unfamiliar place like the voting booth. Without any word limit, legislators might feel inclined to include every detail and outcome of the proposed change. Sometimes the text can be very very long. 

Here’s an example of a 1,000-word ballot question from a 2014 election. The question fills up the majority of the page in small text that is difficult to read, and any other questions have to fit on the back. For the average reader, this would take about 7.7 minutes to read, without factoring in time to comprehend the question.

Short and readable sentences are equally important when it comes to making sure voters can follow the question. However, some states require that a referendum be worded without periods, leading to single-sentence questions with more than 700 words. 

Solution 1: Impose word limits on the title, the summary, or both.

Solution 2: Remove any requirement that a question be worded as a single sentence.

Problem 2: Ballot questions are not worded as a question

By definition, ballot questions (including referendums, measures, and propositions) are questions posed directly to the public. But in some cases, ballot questions are worded as statements. This format confuses readers because it defies standard grammar — ”yes” or “no” can only be used to respond to a question. 

Solution: Require that the ballot question be clearly worded as a “yes” or “no” question.

Problem 3: Ballot questions don’t clarify what a “yes” or “no” vote means

Sometimes, even when a ballot question is worded clearly, the meaning of a “yes” or “no” vote is counterintuitive, like when a “yes” vote means preserving the status quo while a “no” vote is for a change. For example, in California’s Proposition 40 (2012), it’s likely that some voters thought a “yes” vote meant approving a new way of drawing Senate district boundaries when in fact, it meant to keep the existing method. 

Ballot question title: Redistricting. State Senate Districts. Referendum.

Ballot question text: A “Yes” vote approves, and a “No” vote rejects, new State Senate districts drawn by the Citizens Redistricting Commission. If the new districts are rejected, the State Senate district boundary lines will be adjusted by officials supervised by the California Supreme Court.

State Senate districts are revised every 10 years following the federal census.

In other cases, voters might not know whether a “yes” or “no” vote aligns with their intent because the question is worded with multiple negatives. In the case of Texas’ Proposition 3 (2021), It’s very possible voters were confused by the wording because it proposed to prohibit a prohibition.

Ballot question title: The constitutional amendment to prohibit this state or a political subdivision of this state from prohibiting or limiting religious services of religious organizations.

Ballot question text: This state or a political subdivision of this state may not enact, adopt, or issue a statute, order, proclamation, decision or rule that prohibits or limits religious services, including religious services conducted in churches, congregations, and places of worship, in this state by a religious organization established to support and serve the propagation of a sincerely held religious belief. 

Solution 1: Require that questions be worded so that a “yes” vote is for change and a “no” vote is for no change.

Solution 2: Don’t use double negatives.

Problem 4: Ballot questions don’t explain the outcome

A common issue with ballot questions is that they focus on the legal and administrative mechanisms for implementing a new law and not the practical outcomes for ordinary people. For example, Fresno County, California’s Measure A (2014) asked voters whether to renew a vehicle abatement program — a program that removes abandoned, dismantled, or wrecked vehicles. However, nowhere in the ballot text does it explain that the vehicle abatement program could remove derelict vehicles from public and private property. Nor did it explain that the vehicle abatement program already existed and that Measure A actually asked voters whether to renew the program. Instead, the question emphasized the registration fees different vehicles would pay.

Ballot question title: Fresno County Vehicle Abatement Program and Associated Registration Fees, Measure A

Ballot question text: Should the Fresno County Vehicle Abatement Program and vehicle registration fees (one dollar per vehicle and an additional two dollars for certain commercial vehicles payable upon registration of a vehicle) be renewed for a ten-year term beginning July 1, 2014, for the abatement and removal of abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperable vehicles?

Solution: Require that the ballot text explain the change in policy, not the legal mechanism for implementing the change. 

Simplifying ballot questions helps voters understand what they are voting for

Ballot questions are a critical function of direct democracy. Like voter guides and ballot envelopes, they make a difference to whether voters feel invited to participate or excluded by complicated language. These six solutions help ensure voters understand the questions they are being asked and that their votes accurately capture their opinion.    

Resources

Words to time calculator: A free online tool to get a reading time estimate based on word count and slow, average and fast reading speed. We used this calculator to determine an estimate of how long it would take to read 1,000 words.

Voter guide pages: ballot questions: Here are some of our research-backed tips for writing nonpartisan voter education materials about ballot questions. This page is part of our workbook on designing a voter guide to an election.

Binder, Mike, Getting it Right or Playing it Safe? Correct Voting, Confusion and the Status Quo Bias in Direct Democracy (September 1, 2009). Read the paper here.

This was originally published in our Civic Designing newsletter. Subscribe on Mailchimp to get election design tips delivered to your mailbox.