Colorado Voters Reject Amendment 85 Plain-Language Measure

Early unofficial results show the constitutional amendment on eighth-grade ballot language narrowly failing as Colorado voters weigh 14 statewide measures.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a lone flagpole with a limp unmarked flag on an open high plain under a wide sky, evoking a quiet civic decision. — Colorado voters appeared to reject Amendment 85 on Tuesday, which would have required state and local ballot questions to be written at an eighth-grade reading level, with early results showing it narrowly failing. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should all Colorado ballot questions be written at an eighth-grade reading level?

Colorado voters are rejecting Amendment 85, a constitutional amendment that would require state and local ballot questions to be written at no higher than an eighth-grade reading level. Early, unofficial results Tuesday evening showed the measure with 50.19% support.

Why it matters

The amendment would have built a plain-language ballot standard into the state constitution, extending rules that currently govern citizen-initiative ballot titles. Its outcome determines whether the reading-level requirement becomes a constitutional mandate for Colorado ballot language.

Early unofficial returns show Amendment 85 at 50.19% in favor, a margin that will depend on the final certified count. Colorado voters faced 14 statewide ballot measures, matching the 2024 ballot and tying the record for recent history.

The players

Advance Colorado

Advance Colorado is a Colorado-based advocacy organization that backed Amendment 85.

The details

Amendment 85 would amend the state constitution to require ballot questions written at an eighth-grade reading level. It is backed by Advance Colorado. Under current law, the state Title Board writes ballot titles for citizen initiatives, and state law already requires plain language understandable by the widest possible audience; the legislature passed House Bill 1320 in the 2026 session to reinforce that standard.

2024: Prior statewide ballot carried the same 14-measure count.
2026 session: Legislature passed House Bill 1320 on plain-language ballot titles.
November 3, 2026: Election day, with early vote counts showing Amendment 85 failing.

Need to Know

Amendment 85 would have moved the plain-language standard set by House Bill 1320 from statute into the state constitution, making it harder for future legislatures to change. Voters' rejection leaves that standard governed by statute rather than the constitution.

If the result is confirmed, ballot titles for Colorado citizen initiatives will continue under current statute rather than a constitutional requirement. Voters should expect ballot language to keep following existing plain-language rules set by state law.

The takeaway

Ballot wording can shape how voters understand each measure, so reading the official title and summary before voting helps clarify what a "yes" or "no" actually changes.