AI prompt aims to help voters understand Colorado's lengthy 2026 ballot
Colorado's Blue Book for the November 2026 midterm election runs about 130 pages, making it the state's longest voter guide in more than 70 years. With so much information to review, some voters may turn to artificial intelligence to help make sense of it.
Corky Kyle, of the lobbying firm The KyleGroup, created a six-step AI prompt designed to help voters understand ballot measures. The process starts with the official voter guide, then suggests copying the exact language of a measure into an AI chatbot and asking for a plain-English explanation.
"I did this to make it easier for people to understand," Kyle told CBS Colorado.
This year's ballot includes 14 statewide measures, along with local initiatives that vary depending on where voters live.
Kyle's prompt asks AI to simplify the language and explain arguments for and against a measure.
"If you ask AI, 'Here is what they put together; tell me what it is saying in plain English; give me the pros and cons,' and then you push the button, and there it is," Kyle explained.
We tested the prompt using Amendment 84, a proposal concerning voter identification requirements for mail ballots.
The Blue Book explains that a "yes" vote would require voters to include identification information with their mail ballot. In our test, ChatGPT gave a similar explanation using simpler language.
That comparison shows how AI can help translate ballot language; although, one example does not establish the accuracy of every response.
Kyle said the goal is to help voters understand the measures, rather than influence how they vote.
"I've been around for so long; I've been around before there were computers," Kyle said. "Would AI have helped me way back then? You betcha."
Inside the office of Paul López, the Denver Clerk and Recorder, preparations are underway for Election Day. Mail ballot drop boxes will open Monday, Oct. 12.
López said AI can serve as a tool, but he encouraged voters to rely on credible sources as they study their ballots.
"Do your part and study the ballot," he said.
López also urged voters to be careful about sharing personal information with AI tools.
"Protect your personal information. You never know what's on the other side of that," López said. "At the end of the day, the elections are about you."
