logo

Colorado One Step Closer to Implementing Open Primaries

image
Created: 09 May, 2017
Updated: 17 October, 2022
2 min read

On Monday, the Colorado State Senate approved SB 305, a bill that guides the secretary of state on how to write the rules for the state's open primary system, approved by voters under Proposition 108 in November 2016.

Proposition 108, campaigned for by Let Colorado Vote and supported by Gov. John Hickenlooper, allows unaffiliated voters to participate on the party ballot of their choice during primary elections. Prior to its passage, Colorado used closed primary elections for all races, except president, which utilized a caucus system until voters reformed that as well under Proposition 107.

Now, all elections have a primary system that allows independent voters to participate.

However, as closing day to the current legislative session nears, debate among lawmakers about how to implement open primaries has gotten heated -- particularly over one provision included in the bill. The provision would instruct county clerks to make a record of which party independent voters participate in and then send the voter the same party's ballot each election that followed unless explicitly directed by the voter to do otherwise.

Supporters of the provision, including SB 305 sponsor Kevin Lundberg, say it is about election integrity and transparency:

"We need to know who votes in every election we conduct. And that’s a public record right now — and we haven’t changed that — and that has to be the case if there’s ever going to be a proper election audit or an election recount — and there will be audits and recounts, because elections are close and elections aren’t perfect," said Lundberg.

Some election officials, particularly in Denver and Arapahoe, have suggested that keeping a specific record of which primary ballot independent voters vote on wouldn't be necessary to administer and audit an election. Opponents of the provision claim it forces independent voters into de facto affiliation with a party, and even ran ads blasting the proposal.

In the end, Lundberg and fellow sponsor Steve Fenberg introduced an amendment that removed the provision from the bill, which was soon followed by a floor vote. The bill passed 30-5, sending SB 305 to the State House and one step closer to Gov. Hickenlooper's desk.

Photo Credit: Vepar5 / shutterstock.com

IVP Existence Banner

Latest articles

vote
It's Time to Let All Voters Vote in South Dakota's Taxpayer-Funded Primaries
Unfortunately, the upcoming 2024 South Dakota primary election promises more of the same for our state....
15 March, 2024
-
5 min read
TikTok
TikTok Has No Place in the Two-Party Duopoly
The US House of Representatives voted 352-65 Wednesday in favor of a bill (HR 7521) that would ban TikTok, a social media app used by approximately 170 million Americans, if Chinese tech company ByteDance refuses to divest from it....
13 March, 2024
-
7 min read
make every vote count
Report: 6-in-10 New Voters Register Unaffiliated in States that Suppress Independent Voters
Mounting research continues to show the real truth behind independent voter suppression in several states across the US....
12 March, 2024
-
3 min read
voter at polls
17% More Votes Count Under Ranked Choice Voting, Study Finds
A new study analyzing all single-winner ranked choice voting (RCV) elections since 2004 reveals a significant increase in meaningful votes and representation in elections under RCV....
12 March, 2024
-
2 min read
vote sticker
Ohio Bill Would Force Party Affiliation on Voters -- Whether They Want It or Not
Photo Credit:  Ohio has open partisan primaries that do not require party affiliation as a condition...
10 March, 2024
-
3 min read
texas
Two Key TX House Races Head to Expensive and Unnecessary Runoff Elections
Two US House primaries in Texas are headed for runoffs in May. Voters who are already exhausted with the political process will be asked to go to the polls in elections that historically draw in half of the March primary's turnout -- which was abysmally low in 2024....
07 March, 2024
-
4 min read