republic-os/legislation/us/states/co/2026a/hb-1320.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Accessible Language Statutory Ballot Title Requirements"
description: "Under current law, the title board must set a ballot title for an initiative petition that is brief, does not conflict with another title for an initiative petition filed for the same election, and is in the form of a question that may be answered 'yes/for' or 'no/against' and that unambiguously states the principle of the provision sought to be added, amended, or repealed by the initiative. The act adds a requirement that the title board write a ballot title using accessible language, which means plain language that is understood by the widest possible audience. In determining whether a ballot title is written using accessible language, the title board may consider whether the title:Avoids using legal, technical, or specialized terminology when possible;Clearly identifies the principal change in law or policy proposed by the proposed statutory or constitutional amendment;Avoids unnecessary qualifiers, double negatives, and overly complex phrasing;Organizes clauses so that the effect of a 'yes/for' or 'no/against' vote is readily understood; andPresents necessary information within the ballot title in a logical and readable order. In addition, current law requires that specific language appear in the ballot title for certain initiatives that increase or reduce tax revenue. For initiatives that reduce state tax revenue or local district property tax revenue through a tax change, this required language must appear at the beginning of the ballot title. For initiatives that increase tax revenue for any district through a tax change, this required language must appear directly after language required by the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. The act modifies these statutory provisions so that the required ballot title language must only be substantially similar to the specific statutory language and may appear anywhere in the ballot title. The act applies to initiative petitions submitted to the secretary of state for title setting on or after the effective date of the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)"
jurisdiction: "us/states/co"
legislature: "Colorado General Assembly"
session: "2026A"
identifier: "HB 1320"
citation: "Colorado HB 1320 (2026A)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Elections & Redistricting", "State Government"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["A. Benavidez", "K. Nguyen", "L. García"]
version_count: 7
action_count: 15
vote_count: 9
first_action: "2026-03-04"
last_action: "2026-05-29"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/b40c5ec9-ad55-4a89-83b2-b2596fbddf2e"
source_url: "https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/HB26-1320"
source_hash: "ab9b785efc865c1a5f53b2d2e5287379c72a2e880c5f0ee802a719d2e06a12c3"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-co"]
---

# Colorado HB 1320 (2026A) — Accessible Language Statutory Ballot Title Requirements

Under current law, the title board must set a ballot title for an initiative petition that is brief, does not conflict with another title for an initiative petition filed for the same election, and is in the form of a question that may be answered 'yes/for' or 'no/against' and that unambiguously states the principle of the provision sought to be added, amended, or repealed by the initiative. The act adds a requirement that the title board write a ballot title using accessible language, which means plain language that is understood by the widest possible audience. In determining whether a ballot title is written using accessible language, the title board may consider whether the title:Avoids using legal, technical, or specialized terminology when possible;Clearly identifies the principal change in law or policy proposed by the proposed statutory or constitutional amendment;Avoids unnecessary qualifiers, double negatives, and overly complex phrasing;Organizes clauses so that the effect of a 'yes/for' or 'no/against' vote is readily understood; andPresents necessary information within the ballot title in a logical and readable order. In addition, current law requires that specific language appear in the ballot title for certain initiatives that increase or reduce tax revenue. For initiatives that reduce state tax revenue or local district property tax revenue through a tax change, this required language must appear at the beginning of the ballot title. For initiatives that increase tax revenue for any district through a tax change, this required language must appear directly after language required by the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. The act modifies these statutory provisions so that the required ballot title language must only be substantially similar to the specific statutory language and may appear anywhere in the ballot title. The act applies to initiative petitions submitted to the secretary of state for title setting on or after the effective date of the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/112890/download)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/113706/download)
3. **Final Act** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/116599/download)
4. **Reengrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/113792/download)
5. **Rerevised** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/115287/download)
6. **Revised** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/115208/download)
7. **Signed Act** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/116909/download)

## Votes

- LIMIT — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Refer House Bill 26-1320, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. — **pass** (pass) · lower
- AMD (H.002) — **fail** (fail) · lower
- AMD (H.001) — **fail** (fail) · lower
- Refer House Bill 26-1320, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. — **pass** (pass) · upper
- Adopt amendment L.002 (Attachment C). — **pass** (pass) · lower
- CONCUR — **pass** (pass) · upper
- REPASS — **pass** (pass) · upper
- BILL — **pass** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- A. Benavidez — primary (person)
- K. Nguyen — primary (person)
- L. García — primary (person)
- A. Boesenecker — cosponsor (person)
- B. Titone — cosponsor (person)
- C. Clifford — cosponsor (person)
- C. Kipp — cosponsor (person)
- C. Kolker — cosponsor (person)
- E. Sirota — cosponsor (person)
- E. Velasco — cosponsor (person)
- I. Jodeh — cosponsor (person)
- J. Bacon — cosponsor (person)
- J. Coleman — cosponsor (person)
- J. Gonzales — cosponsor (person)
- J. Jackson — cosponsor (person)
- J. Joseph — cosponsor (person)
- J. Marchman — cosponsor (person)
- J. McCluskie — cosponsor (person)
- K. Brown — cosponsor (person)
- K. Wallace — cosponsor (person)
- L. Cutter — cosponsor (person)
- M. Duran — cosponsor (person)
- M. Froelich — cosponsor (person)
- M. Lindsay — cosponsor (person)
- M. Rutinel — cosponsor (person)
- M. Snyder — cosponsor (person)
- N. Hinrichsen — cosponsor (person)
- R. Rodriguez — cosponsor (person)
- R. Stewart — cosponsor (person)
- T. Exum — cosponsor (person)
- T. Story — cosponsor (person)
- T. Sullivan — cosponsor (person)
- Y. Zokaie — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2026-05-29** Governor Signed `executive-signature`
- **2026-05-21** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2026-05-21** Signed by the President of the Senate `passage`
- **2026-05-21** Signed by the Speaker of the House `passage`
- **2026-05-04** House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Concur - Repass
- **2026-04-28** House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Laid Over Daily
- **2026-04-27** Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-04-24** Senate Second Reading Passed with Amendments - Committee `reading-2`
- **2026-04-21** Senate Committee on State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Refer Amended to Senate Committee of the Whole `committee-passage, referral-committee`
- **2026-03-31** Introduced In Senate - Assigned to State, Veterans, & Military Affairs `introduction`
- **2026-03-27** House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-03-26** House Third Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments
- **2026-03-25** House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee
- **2026-03-23** House Committee on State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole `committee-passage, referral-committee`
- **2026-03-04** Introduced In House - Assigned to State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs `introduction`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/b40c5ec9-ad55-4a89-83b2-b2596fbddf2e`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Colorado legislature records).