Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash

 

Nonpartisan election reform is on the ballot in 7 states, 6 of which could implement new voting models that open taxpayer-funded elections to all voters and candidates, regardless of party.

In the seventh state, Alaska, this voter-approved reform is being threatened by party leaders and special interest groups.

When it comes to where parties stand on reform, whether it is nonpartisan open primaries or the use of alternative voting methods like ranked choice voting, there's no straight answer.

This is because support or opposition depends on a perceived threat or benefit to the party -- which varies from city to city and state to state.

For example, Democrats largely supported the implementation of ranked choice voting in Maine, while GOP leaders largely opposed it.

But in New York City, Democratic leaders fought to kill the reform.

The same can be said of Democratic leadership in Washington, DC, where ranked choice voting is on the ballot in November -- along with primaries that are open to independent voters. 

For years, IVN has been at the forefront of all efforts to reform the taxpayer-funded elections process, whether through primary reform or with a new voting method. 

But we have also noticed a pattern: The parties and elected officials loyal to them have little interest in how elections actually impact voters, unless there is something in it for them.

Take A Look at Colorado

In 2024, Proposition 131 is on the ballot in Colorado. If passed, it will do two things: First, it will implement a nonpartisan top four open primary in which all voters and candidates participate on a single ballot. 

The top four vote-getters move on to the general election, ensuring that voters have more than two options on Election Day.

The second thing the measure does is implement ranked choice voting in the general election, which gives voters the opportunity to rank the top four candidates in order of preference (1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice).

A candidate needs a majority of the vote to win. If no candidate gets a majority of first-choice selections, an instant runoff kicks in that eliminates the last place candidate.

Their voters' next choices are applied to the tabulation. Subsequent elimination rounds are conducted as needed until a single candidate has a majority of voter preferences.

The idea is that the final tabulation reflects how voters would have cast their ballots if the eliminated candidates were not in the race from the start.

And, no candidate can win with only a plurality of the vote (i.e. less than 50%) -- which could easily happen with 4 candidates on the ballot.

Prop 131 has ample public support. A September poll showed a clear majority (56%) of respondents favored the measure, with even more saying they likely will lean toward "Yes."

Opposition to the measure, however, has raised some eyebrows.

The Denver Post, for example, suggests that reforms under Prop 131 will embolden election deniers -- who are already emboldened by the status quo.

Conspiracy theories within a system controlled by partisan officials are only getting worse. But the paper had no objections to the proposed reforms themselves.

Then, there are elected officials like US Sen. Michael Bennet.

Bennet called the measure "a radical overhaul of our elections," and called ranked choice voting under it an "extreme version" of the reform.

To clarify, there is no distinct difference between ranked choice voting already in use in Maine and Alaska and what Prop 131 proposes. It works the same as many other jurisdictions.

Bennet has also been a supporter of ranked choice voting.

In fact, he joined US Sen. Angus King (I-ME) in reintroducing the Voter Choice Act in 2023, which advocates for the broad adoption of the voting method.

The bill even provides $40 million in state grants to cover up to 50% of the cost of adopted ranked choice elections. 

"Ranked choice voting gives people more options at the ballot box, increases political competition, eliminates costly runoffs, and rewards candidates who appeal to the broadest swath of voters," Bennet said in 2023.

But on Prop 131, he says:

"I have said that ranked-choice voting in some form, and in some elections, could have a beneficial effect. But, ranked-choice voting is new and comes in many forms. I am unconvinced that the largely untested, extreme version we have been asked to consider will work in Colorado – or anywhere else."

He doesn't elaborate on what he finds to be extreme about ranked choice voting under Prop 131 or how it is different from the ranked choice voting he supports.

"Colorado, with its excellent existing system and strong voter turnout, should not be the guinea pig for interests pursuing their own experiments," he further asserts.

"The proponents of Prop 131 should practice on a different state with a broken election system, not Colorado."

Notably, the proponents of Prop 131 are Coloradoans.

The group spearheading the measure, Colorado Voters First, was founded by former DaVita CEO Kent Thiry, who has been at the center of a number of election reforms in the state. 

One of its biggest financial backers, Unite America, is also Denver-based. 

The specific nonpartisan election model proposed under Prop 131 is already in use in Alaska, which conducted its first nonpartisan elections in the 2022 cycle.

Researchers out of California examined the impact that this model had on statewide elections. What they found was that winners not only needed ranked choice voting to win, but broad support from Republicans, Democrats, and independents.

These candidates, including US Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Democrat Mary Peltola, were also removed from the political fringes and groups that push election denialism. 

Colorado: The Gold Standard for Elections?

Bennet touts Colorado's high turnout in elections and calls the current model in the state a "world-class election system." But what does it mean to have a world-class election system?

Colorado makes voting easily accessible to eligible citizens because it has led the way with vote-by-mail. It also uses an independent redistricting commission.

But these types of advantages wouldn't change under Prop 131.  In fact, Bennet fails to expound on what would be abandoned that he thinks is "world class." 

His evaluation of Colorado elections also fails to account for a distinction between voter turnout and how meaningful of a vote Coloradoans have in the general election.

Both are important metrics to the democratic process. 

The nonpartisan reform group Unite America found that under a partisan primary system in 2024, only 6% of eligible voters decided 78% of the state's US House delegation.

This is the result of how safe districts are for one party or the other. And state legislative elections don't look any better. According to Unite America:

"In 2022, 54 out of 65 state house seats were effectively decided in primaries, and 42 of those had only one candidate running in the dominant party primary."

The group's report added that this "denied an estimated 2.7 million Colorado voters meaningful choice in their representation."

Is this how we define a gold standard? Or, is there room for improvement?

Who Benefits?

Proposition 131 is opposed by both major political parties in the state, which comes as no surprised when they have the most say over election outcomes under partisan primaries.

The primaries are the most critical stage of the elections process in most cases. And since most elections go uncontested, the parties have outsized influence.

They determine the winners more than voters do.

But looking at the makeup of the state legislature may provide insights into why Democrats like Bennet would support ranked choice voting in Congress, but not in his own state.

Forty-six out of 65 state House seats are held by Democrats, as are 23 out of the state's 35 state Senate seats. Both US Senators are Democrats as is a majority of the congressional delegation. 

Even with the largest registered voting bloc being independent, it's clear how much power the parties would lose by taking primaries away from them.

Nonpartisan election reform is about ensuring the power that party bosses covet over elections goes to where it belongs: With the people.

Notably, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has endorsed Prop 131. Specifically, he says ranked choice voting “is better than our current system because it gives voters more choices.”