State senator is interested in change to system where voters rank candidates on their ballots.

More discussions on logistics, practical applications are needed, officials say

Following a presidential primary in which many Coloradans voted early only to watch their candidates drop out, talk is swirling about a possible shift to a statewide, ranked-choice voting system.

That’s where voters would rank candidates on their ballot by order of preference. If a voter’s first choice dropped out, the vote would then go to the person ranked next.

State Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, said she wants to submit a proposal for such a shift this or next year — a move that would push Colorado to the forefront of the national debate about how we choose our political leaders.

But between now and then stand many conversations, stakeholder meetings and more to work through the logistics and practical applications of a rankedchoice system, Gonzales said.

A number of cities and counties across the country already used a ranked-choice system, but right now only Maine uses the system statewide, according to Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold.

“Luckily for members of the legislature, we have already started these conversations,” Griswold told The Denver Post in an interview. “We absolutely could achieve it. It might not be overnight. It might not be in a year. But it definitely is something that is feasible.”

The issue bubbled to the surface after Tuesday’s primary, which — as promised — dramatically increased voter turnout over the state’s former caucus system. But it also left some voters in the cold.

“There’s a downside, right?” said Matthew Hitt, a political science professor at Colorado State University. “Because we have such an early mail system, thousands upon thousands of people wasted their votes.”

Pete Buttigieg, who had doubledigit support in the state, and Amy Klobuchar,, who had about 6% support, according to two state polls, both dropped out some two and a half weeks after Coloradans began receiving their ballots. Griswold said it’s too soon to say how exactly how many votes were cast for those candidates.

Democratic voters tend to connect with multiple candidates anyway, Gonzales said, and the opportunity to rank them would not only ensure that no votes would be wasted if candidates drop out but also offer more realistic results.

“The last thing we want to do is have folks regret voting early,” she said.

Others have discussed whether Colorado should allow

ballots.

Early voting, in-person voting and mail-in ballots have been good for the state but more improvement is needed, Griswold said. Ranked-choice voting is just one of several options her office is considering.

Last year, the secretary of state formed a committee to examine alternative methods. That group met for the first time last month and discussed topics such as ranked-choice voting, Griswold said, not knowing the conversation would be so timely.

Among the logistics of implementing changes that were discussed, Griswold said: how audits could be performed to ensure counting accuracy and how voting technology could be updated.

“This isn’t like a switch you can turn off and on one day to the next,” she said.

It’s a topic worth exploring, said Sheena Kadi, western regional vice chair for the Democratic National Committee’s LGBTQ advisory board. A rankedchoice voting system would likely have changed Colorado’s results Tuesday, she said.

“Coming from a place of continuous learning, there’s making it more accessible, which we’ve done. Now it’s making sure that when folks are participating in the democratic process they feel like their voices and their votes are being heard,” Kadi said.

As those conversations continue, Gonzales said, the proposal could draw bipartisan support. But House Minority Leader Rep. Patrick Neville said it would likely draw opposition as well.

In theory, Neville said he could support a ranked-choice system, but in practice it’s far more complicated, expensive and unrealistic.

“We literally just got new election equipment deployed throughout the state and we’d have to pull all that back and start from scratch again,” Neville said.

In addition, the entire process for tallying votes would have to change, the Castle Rock Republican said.

Such a change could be rolled into ongoing investments over the next four years, Griswold said.