Signatures submitted for Colorado top-four primary and ranked-choice voting initiative

Colorado Voters First submitted signatures for an initiative that would establish top-four primaries and ranked-choice voting in Colorado. If 124,238 signatures are found valid, the initiative will appear on the ballot on Nov. 5, 2024.

The initiative would establish top-four primary elections and ranked-choice voting general elections for the following offices: U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, Colorado University board of regents, state board of education, and state legislature.

The initiative was set to take effect in 2026 if approved by voters. However, Senate Bill 210, passed by the Colorado State Legislature in 2024, changed state law to require local governments to independently adopt, use, and report on a new election system before statewide implementation. The law was estimated to have the effect of potentially delaying the implementation of the initiative to 2028. Gov. Polis said if the initiative is adopted, it “will be essential to reconcile the [newly signed election] bill with the [election reform ballot] measure and to take prompt and good faith actions to successfully implement the will of the voters.”

A top-four primary is a type of primary election where all candidates are listed on the same ballot. Voters are allowed to choose one candidate per office regardless of the candidate’s party affiliation. The top four vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliations.

Three states use ranked-choice voting statewide. Alaska uses a top-four RCV electoral system, and Maine use RCV in federal and statewide elections. Hawaii uses RCV in certain statewide elections.

Ballot measures concerning ranked-choice voting and primary elections are already on the ballot in six other states.

In Arizona, voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would require partisan primaries, thereby prohibiting top-two and top-four primary elections. Signatures were submitted for an initiative that would eliminate partisan primaries.

Nevada voters will take their second and final vote on a citizen-initiated amendment to adopt top-five primaries and ranked-choice voting for general elections, which would apply to congressional, gubernatorial, state executive official, and state legislative elections. This amendment was first approved in 2022 with 52.94% of the vote. In Nevada, citizen-initiated amendments need to be approved by voters twice.

An initiative to create top-four open primaries and ranked-choice voting is on the ballot in Idaho.

Oregon voters will decide an initiative to establish ranked-choice voting for federal and state offices.

Voters in Alaska will decide on an initiative to repeal the top-four RCV, which was adopted in 2020.

South Dakota voters will also decide on an initiative to replace partisan primaries with top-two primaries for state executive, state legislative, congressional, and county offices.

A campaign in Montana submitted signatures in June for two initiatives that would create a top-four primary system and establish ranked-choice voting. Signature verification for these measures is ongoing.

Currently, there are 10 statewide measures on the 2024 ballot in Colorado: three citizen initiatives and seven measures referred by the state legislature. Signatures were submitted for five additional initiatives in Colorado and are pending signature verification. Another nine initiatives had been approved for signature gathering and face a signature due date of August 5.