Ballot measure readability scores, 2020

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Updated as of November 17, 2020

This page provides an analysis of the readability scores of the language voters see on the ballot when deciding their 2020 statewide measures. The ballot language consists of a ballot title or question and sometimes an additional summary or explanation.

A readability score is an estimation of the reading difficulty of a text. Measurements used in calculating readability scores include the number of syllables, words, and sentences in a text. Other factors, such as the complexity of an idea in a text, are not reflected in readability scores.

Voters in 32 states decided 120 statewide ballot measures on November 3, 2020. Including pre-November and post-November election dates, a total of 129 statewide ballot measures were certified for the 2020 ballot in 34 states.

Voters in states with ballot measures read questions on their ballots asking them whether to approve or reject a measure. As the text of ballot measures is often multiple pages of statute or constitutional law, someone is tasked in each state with writing a shorter title or question and sometimes an additional summary to appear on the ballot for the measures.

Readability index details

Ballotpedia uses two formulas, the Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), to compute scores for the titles and summaries of ballot measures.

The FKGL formula produces a score equivalent to the estimated number of years of U.S. education required to understand a text. A score of five estimates that a U.S. 5th grade student would be able to read and comprehend a text, while a score of 20 estimates that a person with 20 years of U.S. formal education would be able to read and comprehend a text. Ballotpedia uses Readable.io to calculate the scores.

The FRE formula produces a score between a negative number and 100, with the highest score (100) representing a 5th-grade equivalent reading level and scores at or below zero representing college graduate-equivalent reading level. Therefore, the higher the score, the easier the text is to read.

Learn more about these formulas in the formulas section below.

Overview

HIGHLIGHTS

The average Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level for the ballot titles (ballot questions) of all 129 statewide 2020 ballot measures was 17 (first-year graduate school reading level).

The average ballot title grade for all measures in a single state averaged together ranged from 10 in Rhode Island, Washington, and Wyoming to 32 in Virginia.

In 2018, the average Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level for the ballot titles of statewide ballot measures was between 19 and 20, and average state scores ranged from eight to 42.

Ballotpedia identified 67 measures with a ballot summary that was set to appear alongside the ballot question on the ballot. The average Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level for the ballot summaries was about 14.

The average ballot summary grade for all measures in a single state averaged together ranged from 10 in Louisiana and Maryland to 20 in Arkansas.

The average ballot title grade was highest for ballot titles written by state legislatures (19) and other state boards and offices (18).

Initiative proponents wrote the ballot language for eight of the measures (in some cases, with help from state officials). The average ballot title grade for those measures was 15.

Attorneys general wrote titles with the lowest average grade level of 14.

The average ballot title in 2020 contained about 60 words. In 2018, the average ballot title length was 66 words.

The 2020 ballot measure with the longest ballot title was Colorado Proposition 118 concerning a paid family and medical leave program. The ballot question had 270 words.

The states with the shortest ballot titles or questions on average were Florida, California, Iowa, and Alaska; all of these except Iowa did feature additional ballot summaries or explanations.

Analysis by state and by author

Analysis by state

Title and summary grades

Readability averages by state
State	Average title grade	Average # of words	Average summary grade	Average # of words	Number of measures
Alabama	21	83	N/A	N/A	7
Alaska	14	22	11	287	2
Arizona	17	43	N/A	N/A	2
Arkansas	22	36	20	30	3
California	15	16	15	73	13
Colorado	30	101	N/A	N/A	11
Florida	16	10	14	51	6
Georgia	26	53	18	165	3
Idaho	26	53	15	104	1
Illinois	12	121	N/A	N/A	1
Iowa	11	16	N/A	N/A	1
Kentucky	21	45	N/A	N/A	2
Louisiana	11	39	11	263	8
Maine	21	39	N/A	N/A	3
Maryland	14	65	10	289	2
Massachusetts	11	26	13	345	2
Michigan	21	36	13	75	2
Mississippi	14	41	N/A	N/A	3
Missouri	13	84	14	122	3
Montana	14	109	N/A	N/A	5
Nebraska	13	55	16	71	6
Nevada	21	72	15	813	5
New Jersey	12	91	12	201	3
New Mexico	21	83	16	104	5
North Dakota	14	166	N/A	N/A	2
Oklahoma	16	140	N/A	N/A	3
Oregon	13	93	16	136	4
Rhode Island	10	52	N/A	N/A	1
South Dakota	17	28	15	157	3
Utah	13	51	N/A	N/A	7
Virginia	32	68	N/A	N/A	2
Washington	10	42	N/A	N/A	6
Wisconsin	13	70	N/A	N/A	1
Wyoming	10	36	N/A	N/A	1

Title and summary ease rating

Expand the table for Flesch Reading Ease averages by state by clicking [show] below.

Readability averages by state
State	Average title ease	Average # of words	Average summary ease	Average # of words	Number of measures
Alabama	12	83	N/A	N/A	7
Alaska	34	22	56	287	2
Arizona	13	43	N/A	N/A	2
Arkansas	43	36	7	30	3
California	0	16	20	73	13
Colorado	-11	101	N/A	N/A	11
Florida	-2	10	34	51	6
Georgia	5	53	24	165	3
Idaho	5	53	32	104	1
Illinois	49	121	N/A	N/A	1
Iowa	48	16	N/A	N/A	1
Kentucky	30	45	N/A	N/A	2
Louisiana	45	39	42	263	8
Maine	6	39	N/A	N/A	3
Maryland	20	65	45	289	2
Massachusetts	60	26	36	345	2
Michigan	11	36	35	75	2
Mississippi	27	41	N/A	N/A	3
Missouri	22	84	31	122	3
Montana	22	109	N/A	N/A	5
Nebraska	31	55	29	71	6
Nevada	10	72	30	813	5
New Jersey	39	91	38	201	3
New Mexico	13	83	24	104	5
North Dakota	33	166	N/A	N/A	2
Oklahoma	29	140	N/A	N/A	3
Oregon	16	93	10	136	4
Rhode Island	53	52	N/A	N/A	1
South Dakota	10	28	18	157	3
Utah	37	51	N/A	N/A	7
Virginia	-13	68	N/A	N/A	2
Washington	47	42	N/A	N/A	6
Wisconsin	45	70	N/A	N/A	1
Wyoming	43	36	N/A	N/A	1

Analysis by the author of ballot language

The person or office responsible for drafting the ballot language for statewide ballot measures varies by state. In some states, the ballot language for different types of measures is drafted by different persons or offices. Moreover, some states require collaboration. For example, the secretary of state might draft the language, but it requires approval by the attorney general.

Note: Mississippi Ballot Measure 1 is composed of Initiative 65 and Alternative 65. Both the attorney general and state legislature were involved in writing portions of Ballot Measure 1. Ballotpedia averaged Ballot Measure 1 twice—once as having an attorney general author and once as having a state legislature author.

Readability averages by state
Author type	Average title grade	Min-max range	Average summary grade	Min-max range	Number of measures	Number of states
attorney general	14	7 - 20	15	9 - 22	27	5
court	14	N/A	17	N/A	1	1
initiative proponents	15	12 - 19	14	12 - 19	8	3
lieutenant governor	14	10 - 18	11	10.5 - 12	2	1
secretary of state	15	9 - 39	15	11 - 19	19	7
state board or office	18	7 - 41	13	11 - 15	17	3
state legislature	19	7 - 76	14	9 - 24	56	22

Historical readability scores

Ballot language readability analsyes Ballot measure readability scores, 2025 Ballot measure readability scores, 2024 Ballot measure readability scores, 2023 Ballot measure readability scores, 2022 Ballot measure readability scores, 2021 Ballot measure readability scores, 2020 Ballot measure readability scores, 2019 Ballot measure readability scores, 2018 Ballot measure readability scores, 2017

Reilly and Richey (2011)

Political scientists Shauna Reilly and Sean Richey conducted a study of 1,211 statewide ballot measures from 1997 to 2007 and concluded that more voters skipped voting on ballot measures when the titles and summaries were harder to read. To conduct the analysis, Reilly and Richey found the readability scores of the measures using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level formula. They found that:

• Oklahoma measures had the lowest average readability score at grade level 9.
• New Mexico measures had the highest average readability score at grade level 28.
• Colorado had both the highest score and lowest score for individual measures, with one at grade level 5 and one at grade level 95. Colorado had the second-highest level of variation in readability scores between measures.
• Only four states—Oklahoma, Connecticut, North Carolina, and South Dakota—had average readability scores equivalent to a high school grade level (9-12) in the U.S. All other states measured had scores above a high school grade level.

2018 ballot measures

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2018

In 2018, ballot questions required an average of between 19 and 20 years of U.S. formal education (graduate school-level of education) to read and comprehend, according to the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) formula. The FKGL scores of the 167 statewide ballot measures ranged from eight to 42 years of formal U.S. education.

In 2018, average ballot title grades were lowest for language written by the Florida Constitution Revision Commission (10), initiative petitioners (15), and attorneys general (16). Average ballot title grades were highest for language written by special state boards and state legislatures.

2020 readability scores

Ballot Measure:	Title grade:	Title ease:	Title word count:	Summary grade:	Summary ease:	Summary word count:	Author:
Washington Advisory Vote 32, Nonbinding Question on Carryout Bag Tax	7	61	37	N/A	N/A	N/A	Washington Attorney General
Washington Advisory Vote 33, Nonbinding Question on Heavy Equipment Rental Tax	8	54	39	N/A	N/A	N/A	Washington Attorney General
Washington Advisory Vote 35, Nonbinding Question on Business and Occupation Tax Rate Increase on Commercial Airplane Manufacturers Increase and Surcharge Decrease	9	47	39	N/A	N/A	N/A	Washington Attorney General
Iowa Constitutional Convention Question	11	48	16	N/A	N/A	N/A	Iowa State Legislature (via the Constitution)
Maine Transportation Infrastructure Bond Issue	25	1	47	N/A	N/A	N/A	Maine State Legislature
Maine High-Speed Internet Infrastructure Bond Issue	14	17	32	N/A	N/A	N/A	Maine State Legislature
New Mexico Bond Question A, Senior Citizens Facilities Bond Issue	28	-9	105	N/A	N/A	N/A	state legislature
New Mexico Bond Question B, Public Libraries Bond Issue	25	4	97	N/A	N/A	N/A	state legislature
New Mexico Bond Question C, Public Education Bond Issue	28	-3	112	N/A	N/A	N/A	state legislature
California Proposition 13, School and College Facilities Bond	17	-12	19	16	5.5	74	California Attorney General
Florida Amendment 2, $15 Minimum Wage Initiative	13	12	4	12	42	49	initiative proponents
Oklahoma Medicaid Expansion Initiative	15	29	46	N/A	N/A	N/A	initiative petitioners
State Question 805, Criminal History in Sentencing and Sentence Modification Initiative	19	19	195	N/A	N/A	N/A	initiative petitioners
Mississippi Initiative 65 and Alternative 65A: Medical Marijuana Amendment	20	-15	39	N/A	N/A	N/A	Mississippi Attorney General and Mississippi State Legislature
California Proposition 15, Tax on Commercial and Industrial Properties for Education and Local Government Funding Initiative	18	-11	23	14	16	74	attorney general
Florida Amendment 4, Require Constitutional Amendments to be Passed Twice Initiative	19	-35	5	12	46	41	initiative proponents
Florida Amendment 3, Top-Two Open Primaries for State Offices Initiative	14	18	12	13	21	71	initiative proponents
Colorado Citizen Requirement for Voting Initiative	17	23	27	N/A	N/A	N/A	Colorado Title Board
South Dakota Constitutional Amendment A: Marijuana Legalization Initiative	20	13	34	15	15	196	state legislature
Montana CI-118: Allow for a Legal Age for Marijuana Amendment	12	25	70	N/A	N/A	N/A	initiative proponents, with review by state officials,
California Proposition 20, Criminal Sentencing, Parole, and DNA Collection Initiative	14	-4	19	16	21	70	attorney general
California Proposition 22, App-Based Drivers as Contractors and Labor Policies Initiative	16	-8.0	13	18	-11	87	attorney general
Oregon Measure 110: Drug Decriminalization and Addiction Treatment Initiative	15	-3	70	16	1	118	attorney general
Oregon Measure 109: Psilocybin Program Initiative	17	-12	68	17	-6	128	attorney general
Alaska Top-Four Ranked-Choice Voting and Campaign Finance Laws Initiative	18	7	23	10.5	51	240	lieutenant governor
California Proposition 14, Stem Cell Research Institute Bond Initiative	11.5	24.5	13	16	14	87	attorney general
Massachusetts Question 1, "Right to Repair Law" Vehicle Data Access Requirement Initiative	11	60	26	11	30	286	secretary of the commonwealth
California Proposition 21, Local Rent Control Initiative	15	-1.5	13	12	38	86	attorney general
Massachusetts Question 2, Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative	11	60	26	14	42	404	secretary of the commonwealth
Colorado Paid Medical and Family Leave Initiative	17	26	270	N/A	N/A	N/A	Colorado Title Board
Colorado Gray Wolf Reintroduction Initiative	25	1	94	N/A	N/A	N/A	Colorado Title Board
Colorado 22-Week Abortion Ban Initiative	27	-1	159	N/A	N/A	N/A	Colorado Title Board
Colorado Decrease Income Tax Rate from 4.63% to 4.55% Initiative	9	62	18	N/A	N/A	N/A	Colorado Title Board
Colorado Require Voter Approval of Certain New Enterprises Exempt from TABOR Initiative	41	-34	93	N/A	N/A	N/A	Colorado Title Board
Arizona Proposition 207: Marijuana Legalization Initiative	15	5	49	N/A	N/A	N/A	attorney general
South Dakota Initiated Measure 26: Medical Marijuana Initiative	16	0	9	15	13	198	Attorney General
Montana I-190: Marijuana Legalization Initiative	14	20	197	N/A	N/A	N/A	initiative proponents, wth review by state officials,
Wisconsin Marsy's Law Crime Victims Rights Amendment	13	45	70	N/A	N/A	N/A	state legislature
Wyoming Constitutional Amendment A, Municipal Debt for Sewage Systems Measure	9.6	42.6	36	N/A	N/A	N/A	state legislature
Utah Gender-Neutral Constitutional Language Amendment	15	53	35	N/A	N/A	N/A	Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel
Michigan Proposal 1, Use of State and Local Park Funds Amendment	23	21	51	11	51	94	state board
Utah Remove Slavery as Punishment for a Crime from Constitution Amendment	11	34	35	N/A	N/A	N/A	Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel
Montana C-47, Initiated Statute and Referendum Distribution Requirements Amendment	14	21	43	N/A	N/A	N/A	state legislature
Utah Municipal Water Resources Amendment	9	41	109	N/A	N/A	N/A	Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel
Utah Legislator Qualifications Amendment	21	14	40	N/A	N/A	N/A	Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel
Nebraska Amendment 1, Remove Slavery as Punishment for Crime from Constitution Amendment	13	11	16	18	11	52	secretary of state
North Dakota Board of Higher Education Membership Amendment	13	39	142	N/A	N/A	N/A	North Dakota Secretary of State
Alabama Authorize Legislature to Recompile the State Constitutition Amendment	22	4	38	N/A	N/A	N/A	state legislature
South Dakota Deadwood Sports Betting Legalization Amendment	16	17	40	14	27	76	state legislature
Utah Legislative Session Start Date Amendment	11	38	62	N/A	N/A	N/A	Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel
Utah Right to Hunt and Fish Amendment	9	47	45	N/A	N/A	N/A	Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel
Utah Use Income and Property Tax Revenue to Support Children and Individuals with Disabilities Amendment	13	29	32	N/A	N/A	N/A	Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel
Maryland Question 1, Legislative Authority over State Budget Amendment	13	23	65	10	42	307	state legislature
Kentucky Constitutional Amendment 1, Marsy's Law Crime Victims Rights Amendment	13	44	23	N/A	N/A	N/A	state legislature
Decrease Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Fund Payments and Fund Medicaid Program Amendment	13	39	178	N/A	N/A	N/A	state legislature
Louisiana Amendment 4, Expenditures Limit Growth Formula Amendment	12	42	40	9	49	207	state legislature
Michigan Proposal 2, Search Warrant for Electronic Data Amendment	18	0	20	15	19	55	state board
Rhode Island Question 1, Name Change Amendment	10	53	52	N/A	N/A	N/A	state legislature
Alabama Appointed Education Board Amendment	18	16	116	N/A	N/A	N/A	Alabama State Legislature
Alabama Citizen Requirement for Voting Measure	26	-3	50	N/A	N/A	N/A	state legislature
Alabama Judicial System Restructuring Amendment	13	34	235	N/A	N/A	N/A	state legislature
Alabama Judicial Vacancies Amendment	25	10	54	N/A	N/A	N/A	Alabama State Legislature
Alabama "Stand Your Ground" Rights in Franklin County Churches Measure	23	11	45	N/A	N/A	N/A	state legislature
Alabama "Stand Your Ground" Rights in Lauderdale County Churches Measure	23	11	45	N/A	N/A	N/A	state legislature
Arkansas State Legislative Term Limits Amendment	16	20	24	16	24	24	state legislature
California Proposition 16, Repeal Proposition 209 Affirmative Action Amendment	18	-21	15	22	-9	85	attorney general
California Proposition 17, Voting Rights Restoration for Persons on Parole Amendment	12	17	12	13.5	48.5	28	attorney general
Colorado Amendment B, Gallagher Amendment Repeal and Property Tax Assessment Rates Measure	43	-55	91	N/A	N/A	N/A	Colorado State Legislature
California Proposition 18, Primary Voting for 17-Year-Olds Amendment	15	19	32	17	32	64	attorney general
Missouri Redistricting Process and Criteria, Lobbying, and Campaign Finance Amendment	14	7	76	17	18	147	Missouri Court of Appeals
New Jersey Public Question 1: Marijuana Legalization Amendment	12	34	80	11	39	104	state legislature
Nevada Question 2: Marriage Regardless of Gender Amendment	24	2	91	16	28	813	secretary of state
Mississippi State Flag Referendum	9	60	17	N/A	N/A	N/A	Mississippi State Legislature
Colorado Proposition EE, Tobacco and E-Cigarette Tax Increase for Health and Education Programs Measure	76	-129	186	N/A	N/A	N/A	Colorado State Legislature
Georgia Property Tax Exemption for Certain Charities Measure	32	-7	71	20	24	115	Georgia State Legislature
Montana LR-130, Limit Local Government Authority to Regulate Firearms Measure	14	28	187	N/A	N/A	N/A	state legislature
Maine Question 1: Religious and Philosophical Vaccination Exemptions Referendum	22.5	1	38	N/A	N/A	N/A	Maine Secretary of State

Formulas

The Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level formulas use the same variables and are inversely correlated, meaning that as one increases the other decreases.

Flesch Reading Ease

In the 1940s, Rudolf Flesch developed the Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) test. The U.S. Department of Defense uses the FRE to help craft its documents and manuals. The FRE computes a score based on the number of syllables, the number of words, and the number of sentences in a text. The FRE formula is as follows:

The FRE formula was designed to produce a score between 0 and 100, with the highest score (100) representing a 5th-grade equivalent reading level and the lowest score (0) representing college graduate-equivalent reading level. However, a score can be negative, representing increased difficulty. Therefore, the higher the score, the easier the text is to read. Rudolf Flesch created the following guide to interpreting FRE scores:

Score	School level
90 to 100	5th grade
80 to 90	6th grade
70 to 80	7th grade
60 to 70	8th and 9th grade
50 to 60	10th to 12th grade
30 to 50	College
0 to 30	College graduate

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level

In 1975, J. Peter Kincaid recalculated FRE to give a score in the form of a U.S. school grade level for use by the U.S. Navy. This new formula became known as the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) test. Like FRE, the FKGL computes a score based on the number of syllables, the number of words, and the number of sentences in a text. The FKGL formula is as follows:

The FKGL produces a score equivalent to the estimated number of years of education required to understand a text. A score of 9 estimates that a U.S. 9th grade student would be able to read and comprehend a text, while a score of 18 estimates that a person with 18 years of U.S. formal education would be able to read and comprehend a text.

Limitations

As the FRE and FKGL, along with other readability tests, do not measure the difficulty or complexity of the ideas expressed in ballot measure titles and summaries, they may underestimate or overestimate the ability of voters to comprehend a text. Political scientist Shauna Reilly, who utilizes readability indices in her research, noted their limitations, stating:

“

There are limitations to the value of these measurements. No mathematical formula can tell us how complex the ideas of the passage are nor whether the content is in a logical order. Further, these mathematical equations exist in a vacuum and cannot explain the context of the passage.

”

Prior research

Ballot Question Readability and Roll-off: The Impact of Language Complexity

In 2011, political scientists Shauna Reilly and Sean Richey published an article in Political Research Quarterly on research they conducted to answer the question of whether the difficulty or complexity of ballot measure language correlated with voters skipping voting on a ballot measure. The authors referred to voters casting ballots but skipping a ballot measure as voter roll-off. To measure the difficulty or complexity of ballot measure language, Reilly and Richey calculated Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level scores for 1,211 statewide ballot measures from 1997 to 2007. Reilly and Richey concluded that lower readability scores correlated with higher rates of voter roll-off. In their model accounting for state and year variations, Reilly and Richey only found one variable with a stronger influence on voter roll-off than readability—whether or not a ballot measure was on a primary election ballot compared to a special election ballot.

Reilly and Richey calculated the mean Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score for each state, except Arkansas, Illinois, and West Virginia, with at least one ballot measure during the 10-year period from 1997 to 2007. The state with the highest mean score was New Mexico, which had a mean FKGL score of 28 years of education. The state with the lowest mean score was Oklahoma, which had a mean FKGL score of nine years of education. The following table is from Reilly and Richey's research and contains the number of ballot measures analyzed in each state, the mean, minimum, and maximum readability score of measures in each state, and the standard deviation of the readability scores for measures in each state:

State	Measures	Mean	Mean U.S. equivalent	Standard deviation	Minimum	Maximum
Oklahoma	38	9	High school	1.1	7	12
Connecticut	1	11	High school	0	11	11
North Carolina	1	11	High school	0	11	11
South Dakota	36	12	High school	2.1	7	17
Alaska	30	13	Associate's degree	5.3	8	30
California	105	13	Associate's degree	1.8	9	18
North Dakota	13	13	Associate's degree	2.8	9	18
Idaho	16	14	Associate's degree	2.3	12	20
Iowa	5	14	Associate's degree	4	11	21
Massachusetts	18	14	Associate's degree	2.1	10	19
Michigan	18	14	Associate's degree	3.1	9	21
Mississippi	3	14	Associate's degree	5	8	18
Oregon	94	14	Associate's degree	1.7	11	18
Rhode Island	35	14	Associate's degree	6.1	6	33
Washington	57	15	Bachelor's degree	2.8	10	22
Montana	29	16	Bachelor's degree	7.4	11	52
New Hampshire	8	16	Bachelor's degree	5	10	27
Utah	6	16	Bachelor's degree	5.3	10	24
Arizona	70	17	Master's degree	3.1	11	26
Florida	40	17	Master's degree	5	8	38
Indiana	6	17	Master's degree	3.5	13	23
Louisiana	61	17	Master's degree	6.8	8	44
Ohio	19	17	Master's degree	4.9	9	30
Tennessee	6	17	Master's degree	5.8	10	25
Vermont	1	17	Master's degree	0	17	17
Alabama	32	18	Master's degree	6.4	12	35
Kansas	4	18	Master's degree	1.7	16	20
Maine	66	18	Master's degree	6.6	8	37
Nebraska	37	18	Master's degree	3.4	11	25
Wyoming	12	18	Master's degree	12	12	25
Missouri	27	19	Ph.D.	8.2	8	44
Nevada	36	19	Ph.D.	6.4	11	42
New York	8	19	Ph.D.	8.3	8	35
Maryland	11	20	Ph.D.	4.1	13	26
Texas	84	20	Ph.D.	12	12	45
Wisconsin	3	20	Ph.D.	16.6	17	23
Georgia	33	22	Ph.D.	10.4	10	57
Hawaii	10	22	Ph.D.	10.9	10	44
Kentucky	7	22	Ph.D.	6.1	14	30
Virginia	3	22	Ph.D.	3.2	19	25
New Jersey	20	23	Ph.D.	6.6	13	34
Pennsylvania	6	24	Ph.D.	5.4	17	33
South Carolina	19	25	N/A	10.8	16	63
Minnesota	1	26	N/A	0	26	26
Colorado	62	27	N/A	15.2	5	95
New Mexico	14	28	N/A	9.3	12	39
Arkansas	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Illinois	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
West Virginia	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

See also

• 2020 ballot measures
• Ballot title

Past readability analyses:

• Ballot measure readability scores, 2018
• Ballot measure readability scores, 2017
• Ballot measure readability scores, 2019
• Ballot measure readability scores, 2021
• Ballot measure readability scores, 2022
• Ballot measure readability scores, 2023
• Ballot measure readability scores, 2024
• Ballot measure readability scores, 2025

External links

• Readable.io

Additional reading

• Reilly, Shauna, and Sean Richey. "Ballot Question Readability and Roll-off: The Impact of Language Complexity." Political Research Quarterly 64, 1. (2011): 59-67.