By now, you should have gotten your official state voter guide in the mail, although perhaps you mistook it for a phone book. The 224-page tome weighs more than 10 ounces — a record, according to the Sacramento Bee's Jeremy B. White, and it covers the pros and cons of a dizzying 17 statewide ballot measures, including condoms in porn, marijuana legalization and a cigarette tax.

And that doesn't even cover the city and countywide initiatives, of which Los Angeles has six — plus a community college district measure.

What's an aspiringly informed voter to do?

Well, Damian Carroll has you covered. He's written 24 haikus summarizing each state and local ballot measure. To wit:



Proposition 64

Legalizes pot!

Also raises some tax funds

(Perhaps a billion?)

“I think that the proposition system is one that's highly flawed,” Carroll says. “You’re asking voters to take in a huge amount of information and vote on really pressing issues. And often with misleading campaign ads as the most obvious source of information.”

Carroll grew up in Clovis, a small city outside Fresno in the Central Valley. He's worked as a staffer for a number of local politicians, including Mike Feuer and Paul Kerkorian. He's now the national director of Vision to Learn, a nonprofit, founded by Austin Beutner, that give kids free eye tests and glasses — though the ballot measure haikus are the work of Carroll, on his own time.

“I thought writing them as haikus that would be shareable on social media would be a great way to get voters interested, and then hopefully seek out more information on their own,” Carroll says.

There's a decent summary of every statewide ballot measure online, at the secretary of state's website. But Carroll was surprised at how hard it was to find good information on L.A.'s local initiatives.

“Most of the city measures, I couldn’t even find the text for them online, much less an analysis and summary,” he says. “You would think that the city would want to make it easier for people to read the text of these measures.”

But who needs the full text of the measure when we have Carroll's haikus? (Just kidding, you should definitely read up a bit before you vote. If you want to.)

Here's every ballot measure haiku, for your voter informational pleasure, starting with the statewide initiatives:

Proposition 51

Nine billion dollars

Of bond funds for school buildings

Term: thirty-five years Proposition 52

A hospital fee

Matched with federal dollars

Funds Medi-Cal boost Proposition 53

Bonds for big projects

(Like high speed rail and Delta)

Would need people’s vote Proposition 54

Bills must be posted

On the web, for three days straight

Before they are passed Proposition 55

For high-earning folks

An income tax that funds schools

Would remain in place Proposition 56

The cigarette tax

Would go up, two bucks a pack

E-cigarettes, too Proposition 57

Earlier parole

Of prisoners serving time

For non-violent crimes Proposition 58

Kids learning English

Won’t need a waiver to take

Bilingual classes Proposition 59

Asks to overturn

Citizens United, but

Shucks, it’s non-binding Proposition 60

Adult film makers

Would have to require condoms

Or risk a lawsuit Proposition 61

In theory, lowers

The cost of some state-bought drugs

(But it could backfire) Proposition 62

Vote for this one if

You want to eliminate

The death penalty Proposition 66 If you want the state To execute more people This one is for you Proposition 63

Requires a permit

Issued by the DOJ

To purchase ammo Proposition 64

Legalizes pot!

Also raises some tax funds

(Perhaps a billion?) Proposition 65

Plastic bag makers

Put this one on the ballot

To punish grocers Proposition 67 To ban plastic bags Vote “yes” on 67 “No” on 65

The two L.A. County ballot measures:

Measure A

Modest parcel tax

Maintains parks and rec centers

Rivers and beaches Measure M

A half-cent sales tax

Funds transit infrastructure

Indefinitely

And the City of L.A. ballot measures:

Measure HHH

One point two billion

In bond funding will provide

Safe homeless housing Measure JJJ

Building in L.A.?

Add affordable units

And hire locally Measure RRR

Gives greater power

To DWP's Board

To hire and set rates Measure SSS

Lets airport police

Into the same pension plan

As LAPD

And lastly, the sole L.A. Community College District ballot measure:

Measure CC

Three point three billion

For community college

Repairs and upgrades

Not only are you now better informed but you just read a ton of poetry!