Colorado Governor Jared Polis endorses ranked choice voting
September 2024 update: This month, Governor Jared Polis announced he will be voting yes on Proposition 131, which would bring open primaries and ranked choice voting to Colorado. Polis wrote that “instant runoff voting is better than our current system because it gives voters more choices. I’m hopeful that if it passes it will encourage participation and improve our democracy.”
Colorado Governor Jared Polis endorsed ranked choice voting (RCV) after it was used in his hometown of Boulder for the first time. In 2021, Polis signed legislation making it easier for Colorado cities to adopt RCV.
I’ve always been supportive of the concept of ranked choice voting. We just completed our first mayor’s race in Boulder using ranked choice voting. In talking to my friends and neighbors, it went very smoothly, people understood what they were doing. They got their voice counted, regardless of who their first choice was.
– Gov. Jared Polis
Polis joins elected officials from all parts of the nation and across the political spectrum in supporting RCV. They include Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, who just reintroduced the Voter Choice Act in Congress; and Senator Mitt Romney of neighboring Utah.
As Polis said, ranked choice voting went smoothly in Boulder. 86% of voters found ranked choice voting easy in last month’s election, compared to just 6% who found it difficult. 77% were satisfied with their voting experience, compared to just 11% who were dissatisfied. Boulder’s leading newspaper, The Daily Camera, lauded the success of RCV:
Ranked choice voting was a success in Boulder. It gave voters real choices, it ensured that our mayor was elected by majority and it prevented the need for a runoff election.
– Daily Camera Editorial Board
And ranked choice voting is on the move in Colorado – voters, activists, and elected officials in the state’s capital and largest city of Denver have called for adopting RCV to replace expensive two-round municipal elections.
Last month also saw the launch of a statewide campaign to adopt RCV; it could be on voters’ ballots as early as 2024.
To support RCV in the Centennial State, join Ranked Choice Voting for Colorado.
