Colorado governor signs bill to block ranked choice voting

Colorado's governor put a roadblock in front of an effort to implement ranked choice voting .

State of play: The state's voters are expected to face a question about whether to adopt the voting system, often referred to as instant runoffs, in a forthcoming November ballot measure.

Yes, but: Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill Thursday to prevent ranked choice voting from taking effect in the foreseeable future, regardless of what voters decide.

• The new law requires a dozen Colorado cities in certain size counties with specific demographics to conduct a ranked choice election before it is used for state or federal contests.

Between the lines: The provision was added surreptitiously by state Rep. Emily Sirota (D-Denver) at the last-minute of the legislative session with little discussion or debate.

• The two major political parties are objecting to moving to ranked choice voting and a possible companion measure that would abolish partisan primaries and instead open them to all voters with the four candidates who receive the most votes advancing to the general election.

What they're saying: In a statement , Polis said he doesn't support the 11th-hour provision and promised "good faith actions to successfully implement the will of the voters."

• Top legislative leaders from both parties promised to respect voter intent but stopped short of promising to implement the law, citing concerns from county election officials.

The other side: Curtis Hubbard, a spokesperson for Colorado Voters First, the group behind the two ballot measures, asked Polis to veto the bill.

• But now that it's law, the organization is pleading to "continue fighting — in the courts, across the state, and at the ballot box — for the rights of any voter to vote in any election and for the citizens' initiative process."

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