Effort to transform Colorado politics by 2030 takes shape
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The question sounds innocuous: "When you think about having more courageous and representative politics in Colorado, what does that mean to you?"
Yes, but: It's the precursor to much more. The organizers who asked the question just finished a statewide listening tour called Courageous Colorado, the start to an overhaul of the state's elections and campaigns to make them less partisan.
- The goal is to implement policy changes at the local or state level by 2030.
The big picture: The effort is the outgrowth of Proposition 131, a failed 2024 campaign to institute all-candidate primaries and ranked choice voting.
- Unite for America, a national democracy reform group that pushed Prop. 131, paid in part for the tour, Axios Denver has learned.
- The League of Women Voters, CiviCO and Veterans for All Voters, all civic engagement groups, are co-hosts.
Between the lines: A similar statewide listening tour ahead of the 2016 election led to a ballot initiative to roll back the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, known as TABOR.
What they are saying: "We have to also transform the way campaigns are run," Landon Mascareñaz, the lead organizer of the tour told us, lamenting their "divisive nature."
State of play: Courageous Colorado organized 20 town halls across the state through late May to spur the conversation and generate a 2030 agenda.
- At each stop, attendees — ranging from a handful to more than a dozen — discussed and ranked their support for 23 pre-generated ideas to boost "courage and representation."
- The list included overhauls of campaign finance, civic education, a citizens' assembly, minor party ballot access, term limits and new methods of voting.
- The top ideas from the tour, Mascareñaz says, were campaign finance reform, better civic education, open political primaries, ranked choice voting and term limits for local leaders.
Inside the room: The stop in Boulder drew 10 people. Mascareñaz started the hourlong conversation by outlining how representation is short-cut in Colorado because of noncompetitive seats in the state Legislature and Congress — a parallel talking point from the Prop. 131 campaign.
- Attendees expressed cynicism about the ability to change the status quo, but Mascareñaz urged them to stay engaged. "We didn't get into this challenge overnight. We're not going to solve it in one listening session," he said.
What's next: This week, organizers are hosting a retreat in Leadville for advocacy groups to evaluate the data from the listening tour and consider a path forward.
- A full agenda outlining key policy reforms will debut in September.