When the voter guide is 130 pages long, you know you’re in trouble! We’re headed for another belter in November. There are 14 questions on the ballot, seven of them constitutional amendments. And I haven’t even gotten to the judicial performance evaluations or elected officials!
It’s easy to be daunted when faced with so many complicated questions, many of which one has no expertise in. Here are some guidelines that I use when deciding how or if to cast my vote:
• Do I fully understand what the question is asking? If not, I usually vote “no.” Leaving it blank is another option.
• Is it important that this issue be codified in the state constitution? I believe that a constitution should be comprised of fundamental concepts, from which detailed laws follow.
• Is the question overly complex with a number of qualifications? In other words, is it easily implementable or will it cause a raft of lawsuits?
• Read closely! Proposition NN will allow the state legislature after 10 years to spend retained revenue for “any other purpose.” Is it just me, or does that sound like a blank check?
Prop NN also includes my favorite misleading phrase, “Without raising taxes.” I’m not saying vote no. But you should understand that it means more from taxpayers — after all, it’s the only way government earns money.
• What accountability measures are in place? Will they be easily accessible and written in plain English? I’ve lost track of all the increases we’ve voted on for education, yet literacy is still well below grade level and enrollment continues to decline in public schools.
• Does the measure put into place a law that will be difficult to change if circumstances change?
• When they asked me for money last time, did the promised project turn out the way they said it would? Did it cost what they said it would? Or was it more?
• Is the measure needed? You’d be surprised how many questions are already encoded into law!
• How much will implementation cost?
• Have I read the text of the measure, not just the question? Revert back to the first bullet point: If I don’t fully understand the measure, should I be voting on it at all?
© IJN 2026
