Given the intensifying partisan rhetoric that surrounds political races and policy debates at all levels of government, voters’ move – in La Plata County and in Colorado – away from identifying as Democrat or Republican is in many ways a sign of statewide sanity. Personal attacks, ideological ambushes and divisive politics increasingly plague the electoral and policy processes, and it is no wonder that voters – particularly those new to their civic duty – are eschewing the rancor in favor of unaffiliated status, where they are presumably free to consider candidates through a more individualized lens.
Doing so in Colorado, though, prevents unaffiliated voters from weighing in at a crucial time in many contests, where contenders from one party are winnowed down to the one who will advance to the general election. That is not a decision to take lightly.
On March 1, Colorado voters who have chosen a party can participate in a caucus to select delegates that will then vote among their party’s candidates for president and other down-ballot races to see who among the Democrats and Republicans will advance to November’s election. In Colorado, 30 percent of registered voters identify as Democrats, while 31 percent are registered Republicans; 37 percent are unaffiliated. That means just 60 percent of registered Colorado voters are eligible to caucus on Super Tuesday. In La Plata County, those numbers are slightly better, with 33 percent and 32 percent Republican and Democrat, respectively, and 35 percent of active voters registered unaffiliated – a 2 percent increase since 2012.
Among younger, local voters, though, the trend is more stark. Unaffiliated registrations far outnumber those for either major party among voters ages 21-45, and the result is fewer voters eligible to participate in the caucuses that determine party platforms and candidates. While the divisive rhetoric and ideological polarization that infuses party politics can be unappetizing, weighing in at early stages of the political process has very much to do with its final outcome. Both the Democrats and Republicans recognize this and are pushing voters to choose a party – at least temporarily – and caucus accordingly in March.
Voters have until Jan. 4 to change their voter affiliation in advance of Super Tuesday, and secure a ticket to either the Democratic or Republican caucus. While the field of Republican presidential candidates is narrowing on its own, each of the remaining contenders warrants careful consideration by voters. The Republican Party would be best served by an engaged electorate deciding among the would-be nominees, as the final candidate will have serious implications for the party – for better or worse. Likewise, the contest among Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley represents a diversity of policy ideas and philosophical positions. A well-populated caucus will help the Democratic Party in Colorado sharpen its priorities for all candidates in the general election in November.
Whether it is rancor fatigue, political complexity or simply a hesitancy to commit to a party, the growing ranks of unaffiliated voters in Colorado is a wholly understandable phenomenon. The cost of it, though, is a shrinking – and likely more partisan – group of voters left to make crucial decisions about which candidates advance to the final ballot. Unaffiliated voters should give this careful consideration – and quickly. The deadline to change affiliation before the March 1 caucus is Jan. 4.
