Democratic Officials Redraft Ballot Wording, Prompting Lawsuits Across Multiple States

Democratic officials have been revising the text of ballot measures in a range of states, sparking accusations of partisan manipulation. California Attorney General Rob Bonta changed Proposition 39’s language, a move the supporting campaign says misleads voters and has been appealed after a judge sided with the Attorney General’s office. Arizona’s Secretary of State Adrian Fontes faces a lawsuit over alleged omissions and added commentary in a voter-ID measure.

In Virginia, a redistricting amendment’s wording was challenged as non-neutral, leading to a partial injunction and a Supreme Court decision that the referendum could proceed despite procedural concerns. Missouri’s ballot description for a measure restricting gender-transition care was ruled insufficient, and the appellate court rewrote it. Massachusetts and Maine saw citizen-initiated measures removed after disputes over summaries prepared by Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, respectively. Scholars cite research indicating that even minor wording changes can affect outcomes, though definitive proof in real elections is elusive.