Confused about the wording of the Alberta referendum questions? You’re not alone
Linguists and voters are criticizing the complexity of Alberta's upcoming referendum questions, noting that the phrasing is difficult to understand even for highly educated individuals. The questions are being compared to classic literature and constitutional preambles due to their excessive length and convoluted structure.
Why it matters
The clarity of ballot language is essential for democratic participation, as overly complex wording can disenfranchise voters or lead to confusion.
“It’s the structures of the sentences, and the number of different verbs and clauses within these questions,” said Hudson Kam, who is head of the department of linguistics at the University of British Columbia.
“These are … substantially higher, probably, than the average reading level of most Albertans.”
That’s not Hudson Kam saying anything disparaging about the average Albertan.
“I have a PhD,” Hudson Kam said. “I had to sit here and read these questions several times and think about what each of the pieces meant.”
Albertans are voting on Oct. 19. Here’s the simple version of what you need to know
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Part of the challenge has to do with the length of the 10 questions.
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