Wording of questions, proposals, amendments on ballots

[LadyShea]

The year I turned 18 was a Presidential election year (Bush/Dukakis). I was totally psyched to vote because of the stupid gag order regarding discussing abortion as an option that Reagan and Bush had imposed. This was in Colorado, and we also had a couple of serious questions on the ballot (can't remember what they were now, but they were controversial and important), so I read all I could about those specific ones.

So I get down to the polling place and vote for Dukakis and voted Democrat for some other local offices and such, then get to the questions. Now, I was only 18, but I was well educated, I knew how to read, I was a "gifted" student, but if I hadn't read about those issues prior to voting, I wouldn't have had a CLUE what the hell I was being asked. The questions I hadn't researched might as well have been in Japanese for all I could make sense of them...I had to read each one several times and hope I was understanding. One question was worded in such a way that if you WANTED it to happen you would vote NO. Since then, I read all I can about the all of various questions, so I know what I am voting prior to showing up, but what about all the other young people?

Now, how do they expect the average, everyday, C-student American to understand their vote if they can't read the damn thing? Is there a law that says the questions can't be translated to normal, everyday English from legaleze or what? This is wrong on so many levels, and almost smells like a ploy to keep people from voting, or keep them from making informed choices at the polls.