Kansas and Missouri ballots read at college sophomore level
The gist
Ballotpedia found Kansas ballot measures average 18 years of education and Missouri 19, roughly college to graduate level.
Complex wording makes voters likelier to skip questions, so readability shapes what gets decided.
How it unfolded
- Aug 2026Kansas voters defeated a constitutional amendment that would have authorized electing state Supreme Court justices and abolished an existing nominating commission; its ballot question title, at 927 words, was the longest this year.
- Oct 27, 2026Stateline reporter Anna Claire Vollers reported that 2026 statewide ballot measures are written, on average, at a graduate-school reading level, citing Ballotpedia's newest readability report.
- Oct 29, 2026Axios reported that reading Kansas and Missouri ballot measures makes voters feel like they need to go back to school, noting voters are more likely to skip complex ballot questions.