Elections belong to voters — not political parties

Support PROP 131

Support Proposition 131 — because any voter should be able to vote for any candidate in any taxpayer-funded election.

Through All-Candidate Open Primaries and Final 4 Ranked Voting in the General Election, Prop 131 can:

Give Colorado voters a voice and a vote that really matters in our elections.

Provide equal access to all voters and candidates, regardless of political affiliation.

There is mounting evidence that very few Coloradans decide the vast majority of our elections. Low-turnout partisan primary elections are disenfranchising Colorado voters, fueling polarization, distorting representation, and contributing to an eroding faith in our government.

Providing equal access to Colorado elections addresses three core problems:

LACK OF MEANINGFUL VOTES

Colorado’s relatively high General Election turnout is wasted because so many races are decided in low-turnout primaries.

Details

Although 58% of Colorado voters turned out in the November 2022 General Election, only 13% cast meaningful votes in State House races and 18% for Congressional races (a “meaningful vote” is one cast in a competitive election not pre-determined by party affiliation alone). Colorado’s relatively high General Election turnout is wasted because so many races are decided in low-turnout primaries. In the 2024 primaries, 2.3 million voters had 0 say in who their representative is, while 4% of voters elected 82% of State House seats and 5% of voters elected 75% of U.S. House seats.

The Solution

All-Candidate, Open Primaries and Majority-Winner General Elections

Give more voters a more meaningful say in who represents them and increase competition in all elections. After Alaska implemented this voting system, there was a 58% increase in the number of Alaskans casting votes that truly determined who represented them.

THE MOST POLARIZED LEGISLATURE IN THE U.S.

A recent study ranked Colorado’s as the most polarized state over the past 25 years. ⁽¹⁾

Details

Utilizing data from the 50 state legislatures, Nolan McCarty (Princeton School of Public and International Affairs) and Boris Shor (University of Houston) rank Colorado’s as the most polarized. Our increased polarization is driven largely by Republicans’ shift to the right, but there are Democratic outliers as well.

The Solution

Give Voters (Not Parties) More Choice and Voice

Limit party insiders’ grip on elections by providing real choices in Primary Elections and promoting majority support to win a General Election. These reforms change the incentives for candidates and elected officials, resulting in elections and policymaking that better represent the will of the voters — rather than the will of the political extremes.

YOUNG AMERICANS LOSING FAITH IN OUR DEMOCRACY

Support for democracy from young voters is lower than almost any time in recent history.

Details

Support for democracy from young voters is lower than almost any time in recent history. In June, ASU’s Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy found 80% of Gen Z voters said the two major parties don’t represent them and that 95% of Gen Z voters support equal access to voting regardless of party affiliation.

The Solution

Eliminate Antiquated Election Rules that Limit Participation

Give younger voters — and all voters — elections where they have real choices. Recent polling found voters strongly support Final 4 Voting in Colorado, especially young voters, among whom support is +61 points (70% “Yes” to 9% “No”). Source: April 2024 Keating Research/GS Strategy Group poll of likely 2024 voters.

%

Percent of Colorado voters who cast meaningful votes in state House elections in 2022.

Colorado’s ranking among state’s with the most polarized legislatures

Number of lawmakers in the 100-member Colorado General Assembly appointed via a vacancy committee

⁽¹⁾ Nolan McCarty (Princeton School of Public and International Affairs) and Boris Shor (University of Houston)
⁽²⁾ Source: Oct. 2023 Keating Research/GS Strategy Group poll of likely 2024 voters.

BETTER CHOICE AND VOICE

These reforms will change the incentives for candidates and elected officials, resulting in elections and policymaking that better represent the will of the voters — rather than the will of the political extremes. In the end, our November ballot measure will give voters better candidate choices, and a greater voice, in our elections:

1

Hold Open, All-Candidate Primary Election, With Final 4 Advancing To General Election

All-Candidate Primary: A single election per race/seat that includes all candidates on a single standard ballot, regardless of party, and in which all registered voters participate.

Final 4: Voters cast their ballot for one candidate, and the four candidates
receiving the most votes advance to the General Election.

Offices covered:

U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, State Legislature, CU Board of Regents, and the State Board of Education

2

Final 4 Ranked Voting In General Elections

Ranking Preferences: Voters are allowed, but not required, to rank their candidate choices from 1 to 4.

Majority Winner: The winner of the General Election must receive a majority of votes (50% +1). If no winner emerges on first tally, instant-runoff voting is used until one candidate receives majority support.

3

Repeal The ‘Midnight Amendments’

In the closing hours of the 2024 General Assembly, lawmakers snuck an amendment into a routine elections bill attempting to undermine Initiative 310.

Party insiders’ effort to invalidate the will of the people as expressed through the citizen’s initiative process is an affront to our democratic process and must be repealed.

TIMELINE

Prop 131, which includes All-Candidate Open Primaries and Final 4 ranked voting in the General Election, will be put before Colorado voters in November of this year.