Why Most Voters Don’t Read What They’re Voting On

Every election, millions of Americans vote on ballot measures that can change taxes, laws, schools, and many other parts of daily life. But most people never read the full text before they vote.

That doesn’t mean they’re lazy or don’t care.

The real problem is much simpler. Ballot measures are often long, filled with legal language, and difficult to understand. At the same time, reading skills across the country have been declining for years. When you put those two problems together, it’s easy to see why many voters rely on short summaries, campaign ads, or recommendations from people they trust instead of reading the entire measure.

Let’s look at why this happens.

I Understand Why Many Voters Don’t Read Ballot Measures

It’s easy to blame people for skipping the fine print. But imagine standing in a voting booth with several races to vote on and a long line of people waiting behind you.

Now imagine one ballot measure is over 1,000 words long, written in legal language, and filled with long, confusing sentences.

Most people aren’t going to read every word.

Instead, many voters look at the short title and summary printed on the ballot or in the official voter guide. These summaries are supposed to be fair and accurate. But they are often challenged in court because supporters and opponents believe the wording favors one side over the other.

If a few carefully chosen words can influence how people vote, then those words matter.

Reading Has Become Harder for Many Americans

Another reason many voters don’t read ballot measures is that reading skills have been declining across the country.

National reading scores have fallen for years.

During the 2024–2025 school year, about one out of every three high school seniors scored below the basic reading level. That’s worse than it was just a few years earlier.

Adult literacy is also a concern. Research suggests that about one in five American adults struggles with basic reading tasks, especially when they have to compare information or draw conclusions from complicated writing.

That affects voting.

Studies suggest that areas with lower reading skills often have lower voter turnout. Many people also skip complicated ballot measures and depend on headlines, short summaries, or advice from people they trust.

When a ballot measure is long and difficult to understand, it’s not surprising that many people never read the entire thing.

Even Experts Sometimes Overestimate Reading Skills

There’s another problem that doesn’t get much attention.

The people who write laws, newspaper articles, and policy papers often assume readers understand more than they actually do.

Research shows that many young adults struggle with complex legal and technical writing. Experts recommend that public information be written at about a 6th- to 8th-grade reading level, yet many ballot measures are written at a college reading level. That gap makes it harder for many voters to fully understand what they’re being asked to vote on.

Many college professors say today’s students struggle more with reading than students did in the past. Some students rarely read entire books or long articles. Research has also found that teachers sometimes overestimate how well students understand what they read, especially without formal testing.

If educators can overestimate reading skills, it’s reasonable to think government officials and policy writers may do the same when writing ballot measures.

That creates a gap.

The people writing ballot measures believe the average voter can understand complicated legal language.

Many voters cannot.

As a result, people often depend on campaign ads, endorsements, news stories, and trusted organizations instead of reading the full measure themselves.

Why Ballot Titles and Summaries Matter

Even when voters try to learn about a measure, the title and summary can shape how they see it.

Who Writes the Summary?

In California, the Attorney General writes the official title and summary for every statewide ballot proposition.

State law requires the wording to be true and impartial. However, because the Attorney General is an elected official, critics sometimes argue that the language can reflect political priorities. That’s one reason ballot titles and summaries are frequently challenged in court.

In the 2020 election cycle alone, six lawsuits were filed over ballot wording. Courts usually allow the Attorney General’s language to stand unless it is clearly false or misleading, which is a difficult legal standard to prove.

Words Can Change Votes

Research shows that the words used to describe a ballot measure can influence how people vote.

One 2018 poll asked voters if they supported repealing California’s gas tax.

When the question was asked in plain language, about 50 percent supported repeal.

When the same proposal used the official ballot wording—”Eliminates Certain Road Repair and Transportation Funding”—support dropped to 39 percent.

The proposal didn’t change.

Only the wording changed.

Examples from California

Proposition 15 (2020)

Supporters said the measure would increase funding for public schools and local governments. Critics argued that the official summary did not clearly describe it as a commercial property tax increase.

Proposition 22 (2020)

The official summary said the measure exempted app-based companies from providing certain employee benefits.

Supporters argued the wording focused on what drivers would lose instead of explaining the flexibility supporters believed the measure would provide.

Proposition 23 (2020)

The original summary said dialysis clinics would have to keep an “on-site medical professional.”

Opponents argued that wording could mislead voters because federal rules already required medical staff to be present. A judge agreed the language should be more precise and ordered changes before the election.

These kinds of disputes happen regularly during major California elections.

Ballot Questions Can Be Confusing

Even when no one is trying to influence voters, ballot questions can still be difficult to understand.

Some common problems include:

• They’re often too long.
• Many are written as legal statements instead of simple questions.
• Sometimes it’s not clear what a “Yes” vote or a “No” vote actually does.
• They spend more time explaining legal procedures than telling voters how the measure will affect everyday life.

Organizations such as the Center for Civic Design have suggested improvements like shorter summaries, plain language, and easier-to-read voter guides.

Why Many Voters Use Shortcuts

Given all these challenges, it’s understandable why many voters don’t read every word of every ballot measure.

The documents are long.

The language is complicated.

The summaries are sometimes controversial.

Most people don’t have unlimited time to stand in the voting booth reading pages of legal text.

Instead, many voters use shortcuts. They pay attention to endorsements, political parties, news reports, community organizations, or people they trust.

Whether that’s good or bad is open to debate. But it’s easy to understand why people make that choice.

How We Can Make Voting Easier

If we want voters to make informed decisions, blaming them isn’t the answer.

We should make ballot measures easier to understand.

Some ideas include:

• Let independent, nonpartisan groups write ballot titles and summaries instead of elected officials.
• Require plain English written at about an 8th-grade reading level.
• Limit how long ballot questions can be.
• Clearly explain what a “Yes” vote does and what a “No” vote does.
• Focus on how a measure will affect people’s everyday lives instead of using technical legal language.
• Create voter guides with simpler writing, clear graphics, and fair explanations of both sides.

Final Thoughts

Most voters care about their communities and want to make good decisions.

The problem isn’t that people don’t care.

The problem is that the system often asks ordinary voters to read and understand documents written more like legal contracts than everyday English.

We shouldn’t expect people to become lawyers before they can cast a ballot.

If we want voters to make informed choices, then ballot measures should be written in language that ordinary Americans can easily understand. Until that happens, many voters will continue relying on headlines, campaign ads, and trusted organizations instead of reading pages of legal text.

That’s not a failure of the voters.

It’s a sign that the system could do a much better job of communicating with the people it serves.

Some Sources

• NCES Adult Literacy (PIAAC)
• OECD PIAAC Adult Skills Survey
• California Ballot Initiatives
• California Elections Code (Title and Summary)
• California Voter Information Guides
• California Legislative Analyst’s Office – Ballot Analysis
• Explaining Ballot Questions in Plain Language
• CDC Plain Language Resources
• NIH Clear Communication Initiative
• Flesch-Kincaid Readability Tests (Microsoft)
• Thinking, Fast and Slow
• Nudge
• Direct Democracy and the Courts