Kaufman Legal Group attorney George Yin breaks down the state’s own Voter Information Guide — and the 75 words voters actually see on the ballot when they decide how to vote on a proposition — ahead of the November election.
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 12, 2026 — Every election, the same thing happens. Even sharp, engaged voters open their ballots, see a stack of propositions written in dense legal language, and have no idea where to begin. With California’s Official Voter Information Guide now available online ahead of the November election and with print versions arriving soon, Kaufman Legal Group attorney George Yin says the fix is simpler than most people think — because the state already provides voters the answers.
“The information isn’t missing,” said Yin, an attorney with the political and election law firm Kaufman Legal Group. “California sends the Official Voter Information Guide to voting households across the state. The problem is that many people are confused about how to read it.”
Yin offers a straightforward way to cut through the confusion:
1. Start with the “Quick Reference Guide.” Near the front of the Voter Information Guide, under Propositions, there’s a quick-reference section that provides for each measure listed by its proposition number: an official title, a short official summary, a brief fiscal impact summary, and a plain statement provided by state elections officials of what a “yes” or “no” vote means; and brief Pro and Con statements provided by supporters and opponents, respectively. “For a lot of measures,” Yin said, “that may be all you want or need.”
2. For measures that really interest or matter to you, definitely read the “Analysis by the Legislative Analyst” prepared for the numbered proposition. Each proposition has a full entry that includes a neutral, few-page breakdown prepared by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, with background and a walk-through of what the measure would do. “It’s the most useful thing in the book,” Yin said, “and the most overlooked.” Also, for the true wonks, the text of each proposition is contained in the back of the booklet.
3. Know what constitutes neutral analysis and what is advocacy. Every proposition entry has two kinds of content. An official ballot title and summary, which is capped at 100 words (not counting the fiscal impact statement) and required by law to be “a true and impartial statement” of a measure’s purpose, is prepared by the Attorney General. The Legislative Analyst separately prepares the Guide’s impartial analysis and fiscal analysis for each proposition. These are meant to be neutral and unbiased. On the other hand, the ballot arguments and rebuttals that follow this neutral section are written by the proposition’s supporters and opponents and are partisan by design. “Read the impartial section to understand the measure,” Yin said. “Read the arguments to understand the fight. Just never confuse the two.”
4. Remember on the ballot itself, the description of each statewide proposition is limited to only 75 words, followed in some cases by a listing of designated supporters and opponents. The ballot label (also known as the “ballot question”), the short description voters actually see when they vote, contains a highly compressed description of the measure of no more than 75 words, including a fiscal impact summary. It is followed in many cases by a list of designated supporters and opponents. “Seventy-five words may be enough to tell you the basic choice,” Yin said. “It usually isn’t enough to understand all the ins and outs.”
5. Follow the money. Beyond the supporter and opponent names contained in ballot arguments and printed on the ballot, the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) publishes top-contributor information for committees that have raised at least $1 million to support or oppose statewide measures, while campaign-finance filings and contribution information can also be searched through the Secretary of State’s Cal-Access and Power Search tools. Also, the Secretary of State now has an especially voter-friendly Ballot Measure Total Contributions page. It provides aggregated contribution totals for committees supporting and opposing qualified measures. “A measure’s supporters might be a nice-sounding coalition,” Yin said. “The contribution records show you who the major reported financial backers are.”
“None of this requires a law degree,” Yin said. “It just requires knowing how the pieces fit together. Once you do, even the densest ballot becomes something you can actually reason through.”
The Secretary of State is scheduled to mail the Official Voter Information Guide between September 24 and October 13. So, in practical terms, voters may receive the state guide before, around the same time as, or shortly after they receive their ballot. The statutory mailing window for the guide extends to October 13, three weeks before Election Day.
Resources for Voters
Official Voter Information Guide: https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/
Secretary of State — Ballot Measures: https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures
Legislative Analyst’s Office — Ballot Analyses: https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis
Attorney General — Ballot Initiatives: https://oag.ca.gov/initiatives
Fair Political Practices Commission: https://www.fppc.ca.gov/
Secretary of State — Ballot Measure Total Contributions: https://www.sos.ca.gov/campaign-lobbying/helpful-resources/measure-contributions/2026-ballot-measure-contribution-totals\
Cal-Access (campaign finance filings): https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/
Power Search (campaign finance): https://powersearch.sos.ca.gov/
California Elections Code (full text): https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayexpandedbranch.xhtml?tocCode=ELEC
