An open Boulder County ballot sits on a table in the University Memorial Center on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (Io Hartman/CU Independent)
Earlier this month, Colorado voted against Proposition 131, rejecting the establishment of an all-candidate primary and a rank-choice voting system.
The measure failed to pass with 54% of votes opposing the proposition and 46% supporting it.
Proposition 131 sought to change how Colorado primaries and general elections are conducted. If passed, candidates from all parties would have run against each other in primary races. The four candidates with the most primary votes, regardless of party, would then run in a ranked-choice general election
Currently, Colorado uses a singular selection process in which voters choose just one preferred candidate for a given office. In a system of ranked-choice voting, voters are asked to rank candidates in order of personal preference. The candidate that receives the majority of cast votes is then declared the winner.
Supporters of Proposition 131 say that the measure could bring increased choice to voters, allowing the opportunity for minority parties and diverse candidates to succeed in elections.
Opponents of the measure say that it would be both expensive to implement, as well as confusing. They also say that, because unaffiliated voters can currently participate in primary elections, it is unnecessary.
Before the election, Proposition 131 received mixed reviews. U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper and Governor Jared Polis, both Democrats, openly supported the measure. In opposition are the Democratic and Republican parties of Colorado, alongside Democrat Michael Bennet and Republican Lauren Boebert.
These mixed responses are also well-reflected among the student population at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Kaitlyn Marchman, a student at CU Boulder said that she voted against the measure. She felt satisfied by Colorado’s current voting systems.
“If the systems work, why would we change them?” Marchman said.
Sebastian Edwards, another student at the university, voted “yes” on Proposition 131. He felt that, if implemented, it would introduce more candidate choices for voters.
“(I) wasn’t particularly satisfied with candidate choice this year, wishing there were more options,” he said. “It felt like I was voting for the lesser evil.”
Raine Lasch, a CU Boulder student who volunteered at the polls on the university’s campus, expressed his concerns “about the big money going into (Proposition 131).”
Some students, regardless of how they felt about the measure, said that it was difficult to understand.
Lasch, who voted against Proposition 131, was among these students who felt the measure was confusing.
Tommy Thompson, a CU Boulder student who voted for Proposition 131, agreed with Raine’s confusion regarding the proposition. He said that ballots are inevitably confusing, but emphasized the importance of voting, saying that students can always utilize tools, such as the Blue Book, to help.
Contact CU Independent Guest Writer Krystal Tanner at krystal.tanner@colorado.edu.
