Voters in Colorado will decide on an initiated constitutional amendment related to the readability of ballot measure questions.
Initiative 234
The initiative — known as Initiative 234 — would require ballot questions to be in plain language, at no more than an eighth-grade reading level. It would also prohibit the enforcement of any state law that conflicts with this requirement by mandating language before, after, or within a ballot title that is not in plain language or exceeds an eighth-grade reading level.
The Colorado secretary of state's office certified Initiative 234 for the ballot on Aug. 28, 2026, announcing that its proponents submitted 141,305 valid signatures, surpassing the required minimum of 124,238 to qualify for the ballot.
As of 2026, Colorado state law requires ballot titles to include fiscal impact summaries for initiatives that affect income taxes, specifying how the change would affect different income brackets. This change was implemented following Proposition GG in 2022, when 71.9% of voters approved the measure.
Additionally, the Colorado General Assembly passed two laws related to ballot title requirements: HB21-1321 in 2021 and HB26-1320 in 2026. HB21-132 required ballot titles to include language for measures that increase or decrease taxes, reflecting how the changes would affect state and local budgets. HB26-1320 requires ballot titles to use accessible language and include specific language for reducing or increasing tax revenue through tax changes.
Initiative 234 would not necessarily conflict with existing ballot title requirements, such as those established by Proposition GG, HB21-1321, and HB26-1320, provided that the required information could be presented in plain language at no higher than an eighth-grade reading level. To the extent that a statutory requirement interfered with those standards, Initiative 234 could make that requirement unenforceable.
The initiative is supported by Advance Colorado, an organization that describes its mission as "[pushing] back on the progressive policies that have put our state on the wrong track."
In previous years, Advance Colorado filed and gathered signatures for measures in policy areas such as taxes, law enforcement, and education. In 2024, the organization filed and gathered signatures for three ballot measures related to a right to school choice, parole eligibility for persons convicted of certain violent crimes, and funding for law enforcement training and benefits for the families of deceased first responders, with two of these measures being approved and one being rejected by voters.
Initiative 234 is the twelfth measure that Colorado voters will decide on in Nov. 2026, appearing alongside ten other citizen initiatives and one legislative referral. Two additional citizen initiatives are currently in the certification process, having submitted signatures to the secretary of state's office. A 55% majority is required for Initiative 234 to pass.