Argument for
By Colorado Legislative Council Staff (State Ballot Information Booklet)
no rhetorical technique found
1) While ballot titles are supposed to be written as plainly as possible, this measure provides additional guidance as to what that means by requiring an eighth-grade reading level as the standard.
Providing a constitutional standard will help in crafting simple titles that voters may better understand when considering their vote, and may help them to navigate complicated and technical information when trying to understand a measure’s impact.
2) The measure creates a constitutional protection against the state legislature interfering with plain language in initiative ballot titles. Citizen initiatives are a way for the public to pass laws without restrictions created by the legislature. This measure ensures that no future legislature may add laws or change existing laws to create complicated or confusing initiative ballot titles.
From content.leg.colorado.gov, the official voter guide.
Argument against
By Colorado Legislative Council Staff (State Ballot Information Booklet)
no rhetorical technique found
1) This measure is unnecessary as state law already provides ample guidance for the preparation of ballot titles in plain language. Ballot titles must convey important information to voters about complex policies. This measure creates a constitutional standard with no guidance about how its requirements are different from current law.
This could lead to more challenges of initiative ballot titles, impacting the initiative process.
2) This measure puts vague and undefined language in the constitution, which could prevent the creation of laws to help voters better understand the effects of ballot measures. Laws that add language to ballot titles could be prohibited, even if that language provides critical information for voters.
The measure may lead to challenges of existing laws that help voters understand how their vote affects state and local programs and funding.
From content.leg.colorado.gov, the official voter guide.