Oct 01, 2024
(COLORADO SPRINGS) -- Colorado voters will have 14 statewide measures to consider in the upcoming election, and one of those could change how elections happen in Colorado. Proposition 131 would do away with party primaries and introduce all-candidate primaries. The ballot question would also switch our elections to ranked-choice voting for state and congressional positions in November's general elections. Some people say the new system would be too confusing, while others say it gives more power to the voters. "At a minimum, we should not be lying to Colorado voters pretending that this is going to give them more choice. This really isn't choice voting, this is a sham," argued Patrick Dillon, Chair of the Green Party in Colorado. Not everyone feels the same way, however. "I think adapting to having greater choice will really increase that trust," said Councilwoman Nancy Henjum, District 5. The future of Colorado elections is in the hands of the voters. "They're saying that it's a complicated issue, but ranking, who's your first choice? Second choice, third choice, fourth choice? I don't see that as very complicated," said Councilman David Leinweber, District 3. If enough voters approve Proposition 131, general elections in the state would change to a ranked-choice voting primary system. This means the top four winners in a primary would advance to the general election, instead of one single top choice. "As opposed to having essentially just the Democratic and Republican Party always on the ballot, ranked-choice voting would allow for many who are unaffiliated or other parties to also be able to get on the ballot and give voters a greater choice, and really, basically giving the vote back to the people and not to the parties," said Henjum. Six other states have ranked-choice voting on the general election ballot--Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota and Alaska. But the Democratic, GOP, and Green Parties in Colorado aren't all on board. "The problem with Proposition 131 is that you have a jungle primary before you get to ranked-choice voting. So what we have here is an invitation to big money to ensure that their candidates get to the top four right now. And you know, we have nearly 1.9 million registered independents in the state of Colorado," said Dillon. However, some Colorado leaders like Govenor Jared Polis and Senator John Hickenlooper are supporting the measure. "I think it will be huge because currently we have this polarizing effect with two parties that kind of pull everyone to one side or the other, where everyone in the middle is really left without good choices," said Leinweber. However, Dillon disagrees: "If you're putting the power back in their vote, but honestly, this isn't ranked-choice voting. This is ranked corporate candidates." There could still be some hurdles for the measure, even if voters approve. In June, Governor Polis signed a new law that required ranked voting to be tested first at a municipal level before it is developed statewide.
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