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Committee backs readability requirement for citizen-initiated ballot titles after divided debate
Summary
The House committee approved a measure to require ballot summaries for citizen initiatives to meet an objective readability standard (Flesch–Kincaid grade level), prompting debate about whether the test is practical and whether it should also apply to legislatively referred amendments.
The committee voted to pass as amended a proposal that would require certain citizen‑initiated ballot titles and summaries to meet an objective readability standard intended to make ballot summaries easier for voters to understand.
Representative Ryan Rose, sponsor of House Bill 17 13, said the bill uses the Flesch–Kincaid grade‑level formula to require ballot titles and summaries to be written at or below an eighth‑grade level. “Voters deserve the ability to make informed decisions when asked to sign a petition without confusion,…
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