As Election Day draws near, and with the polls already open for early voting, take some time to brush up on the amendments with “Your Ballot in Plain English: A Guide to Florida’s 2012 Election,” developed by American Studies professor Robert Watson to help familiarize people with the ballot and make the language more understandable for the average voter. He also lists 10 common voting myths.  

As Watson says in the guide’s introduction, “Florida’s ballot for the 2012 election contains 11 constitutional amendments, making it one of the longest in the United States and one of the longest in Florida’s history. The result could be longer lines on Election Day because of the time it takes voters to read the entire ballot. Also, several of the amendments are written in “lawyer-speak,” which may be confusing to many voters.”