Maine House Passes Bill To Make Ballot Questions Understandable

This might sound familiar. It's election day and you take your ballot into the voting booth looking at a list of referendums using language that almost doesn't read like English. You're confused. Do I vote yes or no if I support this? What does it even mean? A new bill passed in the Maine House aims to make ballot questions to be written so that we can all understand the question.

Representative John Andrews from Paris sponsored LD 534, An Act To Make Ballot Questions Easier To Read and Understand for Maine Voters. The bill would require that ballot questions be written at sixth grade level of reading, making it easy for most voters to understand. The was to read language would also extend to a select number of other state documents.

To address further voter confusion, the bill also requires ballot questions to explain with the effect of a yes or no vote would have, making it easier for voters to make and informed decision.

The bill has passed the Maine House and will now move to a vote in the Maine Senate where, if passed, it will go to Governor Mills to sign into law.

Despite all the political differences in Maine, it seems like this might be something that we can all agree on.