Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for July 10, 2017
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
July 10, 2017: Twenty-four states allow voters to put initiatives on the ballot to implement new laws. Every state but Delaware has some provision for allowing voters to determine the fate of constitutional amendments recommended by their state legislature.
However, the wording of the ballot questions may cause problems. Research from political scientists Shauna Reilly and Sean Richey suggests that voters are more likely to skip voting on ballot measures when the titles and summaries are harder to read.[1] In some cases, a misleading title can cause voters to cast a ballot in direct contrast to their values on the issue.[2]
Unfortunately, most states write ballot measures using language that only a person with a graduate degree can understand. This includes 16 states whose measures' language is appropriate for those with a Ph.D. and 12 more whose average ballot measure is written for someone with a master’s degree.
Of all the ballot measures filed so far in 2017, none are written for those with only a high school education. Ten of the 12 are written for those with graduate degrees.
Only about one out of 10 American adults has a graduate degree. Just 33 percent have a college degree.
Four states—Oklahoma, Connecticut, North Carolina, and South Dakota—had average readability scores equivalent to a high school grade level (9-12) in the United States. Oklahoma measures had the lowest average readability score at grade level 9.
| Average reading comprehension level of ballot measures by state | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High School Graduate (4) | Associate Degree (12) | Bachelor's Degree (4) | Master's Degree (12) | Ph.D. or higher (16) |
| Oklahoma | North Dakota | Washington | Vermont | New York |
| North Carolina | California | Utah | Tennessee | Nevada |
| Connecticut | Alaska | New Hampshire | Ohio | Missouri |
| South Dakota | Rhode Island | Montana | Louisiana | Wisconsin |
| Oregon | Indiana | Texas | ||
| Mississippi | Florida | Maryland | ||
| Michigan | Arizona | Virginia | ||
| Massachusetts | Wyoming | Kentucky | ||
| Iowa | Nebraska | Hawaii | ||
| Idaho | Maine | Georgia | ||
| Kansas | New Jersey | |||
| Alabama | Pennsylvania | |||
| South Carolina | ||||
| Minnesota | ||||
| Colorado | ||||
| New Mexico | ||||
| Source: Research conducted by Shauna Reilly and Sean Richey, compiled by Ballotpedia. | ||||
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
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- July 3, 2017 – 97 percent of congressmen running for re-election in 2016 were re-elected
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See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Reilly, Shauna, and Sean Richey. "Ballot Question Readability and Roll-off: The Impact of Language Complexity." Political Research Quarterly 64, 1. (2011): 59-67.
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Political Road Map: Some believe there's bias baked into the official descriptions of California initiatives," July 8, 2017
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