Colorado rejects Proposition 131's open primaries and ranked choice voting
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Colorado voters rejected a measure backed by out-of-state billionaires and corporations to change how it picks candidates for elected office.
State of play: Proposition 131 to implement open primaries and ranked choice voting received 44% support, according to initial vote tallies from the state, despite a well-funded campaign that pitched the new methods as a way to end political polarization.
- The advocates behind the measure conceded the race around 10pm.
The big picture: Nine states were deciding referendums on open primaries or ranked choice voting in the 2024 election.
- Colorado's contest was one of the most expensive in state history.
By the numbers: The pro-campaign raised nearly $15 million through late October, taking in massive donations from out-of-state billionaires, the oil and gas company Chevron and Kent Thiry, the former DaVita CEO who led the effort.
- Corporations and business interests believe the new voting methods would enable more middle-of-the-road candidates to get elected.
The other side: The opposition — which includes the Democratic, Republican and Green parties — mounted a late effort to defeat the measure.
- Led by large donations from the Working Families Party and other liberal organizations, opponents argued the measure would give well-funded candidates an advantage and lead to voter confusion.
What they're saying: "With this result, Coloradans said loud and clear that they will not allow billionaires and Big Oil to buy our electoral system," said Wendy Howell, the state director of the Working Families Party, in a statement.
The intrigue: Even if it passed, it wouldn't have taken immediate effect.
- Gov. Jared Polis, a Prop. 131 supporter, signed a bill that included language added at the 11th hour to prevent ranked choice voting at the state level until a dozen Colorado cities used the method in an election.