Ballots were mailed June 8 for Colorado's June 30 primary election. For many voters, November remains the focus. The winners of this month's contests will move on, and by mid-October general election ballots will begin arriving in mailboxes across Colorado.
That perspective misses what primary elections offer.
It is in the primaries that Coloradans get their first sustained look at the candidates political parties are putting forward for November. Through petition drives, state assemblies or a combination of both, candidates earn a place on the ballot. They spend months traveling the state, attending forums, answering questions and refining their proposals in response to voters.
Some candidates won't survive June 30.
Some of their ideas will.
That is one of the overlooked strengths of the primary process.
Colorado's largest political party isn't a party at all. More than half the state's voters are registered as unaffiliated. Democrats and Republicans still dominate much of the political conversation, but it is increasingly unaffiliated voters – the “Us” in Colorado politics – who decide which candidates and ideas advance.
That influence is especially notable this year. Republicans have elected only one governor in the last half-century and have not held the office since Bill Owens left in 2007. Political observers believe the winner of the Democratic primary for governor will enter November as the favorite to become Colorado's next governor. Whether that proves correct is ultimately up to voters. What is beyond dispute is that decisions made in June will shape the choices available in November.
Primary elections provide something voters rarely receive in the general election: the opportunity to compare candidates who may share broad values but differ significantly in experience, priorities and governing philosophies.
Colorado's closely watched Democratic primary for governor offers a useful example. In recent interviews with the Herald Editorial Board, Attorney General Phil Weiser and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet discussed not only where they differ, but also where their priorities overlap. Asked what they would continue from the Polis administration, both candidates spoke favorably of Colorado's investments in early childhood education, including universal preschool and full-day kindergarten. Asked about ideas from their opponent's campaign worth considering, common ground emerged around housing affordability and concerns about the effects of cellphones and social media on young people. Bennet has advocated for stronger statewide action, while Weiser has generally preferred local solutions. Those exchanges echoed a broader debate at the Capitol, where Gov. Jared Polis vetoed bipartisan legislation inspired by the Evergreen High School shooting that would have required social media companies to report certain threats to law enforcement and respond to search warrants within 24 hours, citing First and Fourth Amendment concerns.
Candidates may not survive a primary. Their ideas often do. Housing, early childhood education, workforce development and social media policy will remain part of Colorado's public debate regardless of who advances to November.
Participation remains a challenge. In Colorado's 2022 primary election, turnout reached 31.96% of active voters statewide. By 2024, that figure had fallen to roughly 26%. La Plata County posted 42.26% turnout in 2022 but fell to 27.8% in 2024. More than seven out of 10 active voters sat out the election that helped determine who would appear on the November ballot.
Those numbers are difficult to reconcile with the influence primary elections now carry.
Colorado's primary system gives unaffiliated voters a seat at the table. The question is whether enough of us choose to sit at it.
The power of “Us” is found in participation.
Ballots are arriving in mailboxes. Colorado can do better than a quarter of voters showing up to help shape the future of the state.
June 30 is not a prelude to democracy.
It is democracy.
Editor’s note: Herald editorials reflect the views of the Editorial Board, independent of news reporting. Opinion content – including editorials, columns and letters to the editor – is intended to encourage thoughtful discussion of public issues and candidates. While opinions may differ, the Herald strives to ensure that all content is grounded in facts, context and informed analysis.
