Some La Plata County election officials and political party leaders say they are opposed to or have concerns with ranked choice voting, which Colorado voters will consider this November.
Opponents say Proposition 131 would lead to confusion in the voting process. Supporters say the initiative would increase voter participation and decrease the number of “extreme” candidates appearing on the ballot.
If passed, voters would rank candidates based on their top four choices after an open primary.
Out of the top four candidates, if a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote they would win. However, if no candidate receives 50% of the vote, the candidate with the least number of votes would be eliminated. The votes for that candidate would move to the voter’s second choice. That process would continue until a candidate receives 50% of the vote.
Anne Markward, chair of the La Plata County Democratic Party, said she does not support Proposition 131. She said she has supported ranked choice voting for the past 20 years, but she is worried Proposition 131 causes more confusion than anything.
“I read this thing multiple times going, ‘What the heck?’” Markward said. “I don't know what it's about.”
Some supporters say ranked choice voting results in higher voter turnout. But Markward referenced a study from the University of Minnesota that said ranked choice voting “decreases voter turnout among African Americans.” Furthermore, when ranked choice voting was implemented in Maine, third-party candidates received 6% of the vote.
The La Plata County Republican Central Committee is also opposed to Proposition 131. In a written statement to The Durango Herald, the organization said it is concerned about the initiative because it would be difficult for county clerks to implement.
The ballot initiative says ranked choice voting would be implemented across state and congressional elections in Colorado by 2026. However, one potential provision that could be implemented by the state Legislature if the ballot initiative passes is that 12 municipalities across Colorado would be required to use ranked choice voting to practice the new system prior to state and congressional elections. That potential provision would also delay ranked choice voting for state and congressional elections until 2028.
La Plata County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee said she is concerned about the technical aspects of going to ranked choice voting. Voting machines would have to be programmed for the new method of tabulation.
“I know we will make it happen if this is what the voters want,” she said. “I think it would be nice to have a little more time for implementation and to give us an opportunity to really make sure it's correct and that we can handle it.”
Lee is also concerned about having ballots in which some races are done by ranked choice voting and other races are done by traditional choose-one voting, because the ranked choice voting would apply only to state and congressional elections.
Dick Wadhams, consultant for Colorado Voters First and former chair of the Colorado Republican Party, said both Democrats and Republicans oppose ranked choice voting because it would allow for more third-party candidates to be put on the ballot and elected as a result of open primaries.
“The leadership of both political parties oppose (Prop.) 131 because their power will be threatened,” he said.
In a poll commissioned by Colorado Voters First, an organization backing Proposition 131, 56% of Colorado voters expressed support for Proposition 131. The poll was conducted in late August and early September.
The League of Women Voters of Colorado supports ranked choice voting. Beth Hendrix, executive director of the League, said if the initiative passes, the League would focus on voter education for ranked choice voting.
Maria Tedesco is an intern for The Durango Herald and The Journal in Cortez and a student at American University in Washington, D.C. She can be reached at mtedesco@durangoherald.com.
