Colorado voters have a rare opportunity this fall to finally do something about the state’s dysfunctional political system — make it even worse.
That’s the promise and prospect of Propositions 107 and 108. Want more partisan shenanigans? Vote in favor of these initiatives. Want more dark money in politics? Vote “yes.” Want less accountability from politicians? Then vote for these proposals as often as you can.
That’s not the promise the initiatives’ backers offer, of course. Their premise is that by allowing people who aren’t members of a political party to participate in that party as though they were, politics will become less partisan and politicians will start getting things done.
That’s not been the experience in the other states that have so-called open primaries in which voters who aren’t members of a party are allowed to help decide who that party nominates. Nineteen states have open primaries. Collectively, turnout is only marginally higher than in states with closed primaries, according to figures compiled by the Center for the Study of the American Electorate.
In fact, open primaries make things worse. You’d think the propositions’ backers would have been paying attention to the results of the presidential nominating contests this year. In part because of open primaries, two candidates who had never been members of the party through which they decided to try to become president and whose positions had almost nothing in common with those parties — Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump — in one case won the party nomination and in the other came close. In a healthy political system, candidates would be able to make a viable run for public office by running for the nomination of the party whose political goals and ideals best fit their own, instead of trying to hijack another party’s nomination.
But the answer is not to making hijacking even easier, which is what would happen if Propositions 107 and 108 become law. Open primaries undermine parties.
Weaker parties would mean more money pouring into independent campaigns that can do and say what they want without having to disclose any more than their post office box. They would also mean candidates even more extreme than the far-right, and far-left candidates we’re saddled with now, because once voters change their voter registration to “unaffiliated,” they won’t be allowed to participate in caucuses, which would remain the most viable path for candidates seeking elective office. Even fewer moderate voters would participate in caucuses, which would mean the winners would be more likely to be from the fringes of each party. That’s a formula for even more stagnation and gridlock.
The backers of 107 and 108 are correct that the focal point of the problem with politics is with primary elections, in which turnout is so low that partisan purists rule.
Vote ‘No’ on 107 and 108, and then let’s get to work on changing the way Colorado politics operates — for the better.
Ryan Ross of Denver is the director of the Coalition for a New Colorado Election System (changepoliticsnow.org). Reach him at info@changepoliticsnow.org.
This November will be a watershed election, and not just because of the presidential race and the other candidate contests. We also have the opportunity to make critical improvements to how we select these candidates during primaries.
Many of us still remember the embarrassing caucuses from earlier this year.
Despite the attention and interest, just 5 percent of voters caucused for president, and only 20 percent of voters participated in the June primary elections. That’s abysmal turnout for a state that leads the nation in voter registration. To strengthen our democracy, we must encourage participation in our elections — which is why I will be voting “yes” on Propositions 107 and 108, to restore the presidential primary and open primaries to unaffiliated voters.
Propositions 107 and 108 fix a glaring oversight in our elections. The problem is this: Unaffiliated voters can’t participate in primary elections or caucuses unless they give up their unaffiliated status and join a party. That’s not fair — because unaffiliated voters pay for elections and they are the largest voting group in Colorado. Our unaffiliated neighbors make up 35 percent of voters, whereas only 33 percent are registered Democrats and 30 percent Republicans. (Editor’s note: In La Plata County, 34 percent of active voters are registered Democrats, 31 percent Republican and 33 percent unaffiliated.)
Proposition 107 also restores the presidential primary, so Colorado voters will have weeks to cast ballots for presidential candidates instead of physically attending caucuses for hours during one night in the year.
The partisan-centric status quo isn’t supported by many existing and new voters. Not only is participation in our closed primary system disturbingly low amongst affiliated voters, with only 5 percent attending the caucuses, but in 2014, two-thirds of new registrants chose not to affiliate with a major party. Today, Colorado leads the nation in the growth of unaffiliated voters and is one of the only states where unaffiliated voters make up such a large percentage of the population, but are completely locked out of our primary elections. That’s not good for our democracy.
Voting is fundamental to our democracy, and we should be encouraging and empowering all citizens to participate. It sends the wrong message to over a third of voters to say that they can’t participate in primaries because they aren’t affiliated the right way. We want people to participate, and with some of the highest turn out in general elections, it’s clear that Coloradans want to vote. We should be making the process easier and more inclusive, and Propositions 107 and 108 accomplish that.
We’re all better off when everyone has a voice in our elections. Propositions 107 and 108 are a smart and fair way to improve elections. Find out more at letcovote2016.com.
Curtis Hubbard is lead consultant for Let Colorado Vote: Yes on 107 and 108! Reach him at: curtis@onsightpublicaffairs.com.
