2024 Colorado Proposition 131

Proposition 131

November 5, 2024
Establishing All‑Candidate Primary and Ranked Choice Voting General Elections
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 1,385,060 46.47% No 1,595,256 53.53% Total votes 2,980,316 100.00%
For   50–60% Against   70–80%   60–70%   50–60%

Elections in Colorado
Federal government Presidential elections 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Presidential caucuses and primaries Democratic 2000 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Republican 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 U.S. Senate elections 1876 1879 1883 sp 1885 1889 1891 1895 1897 1901 1903 1907 1909 1913 1913 sp 1914 1918 1920 1924 1924 sp 1926 1930 1932 1932 sp 1936 1938 1942 1942 sp 1944 1948 1950 1954 1956 1960 1962 1966 1968 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 2020 2022 2026 2028 U.S. House of Representatives elections 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1927 1st sp 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 3rd sp 1941 4th sp 1942 1944 1st sp 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1983 6th sp 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 4th sp
State government General elections 2010 2014 2018 2020 2022 Gubernatorial elections 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 2026 Secretary of State elections 2022 Attorney General elections 2014 2018 2022 Treasurer elections 2022 Colorado State Board of Regent elections 2016 Senate elections 2013 (recall) 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 House of Representatives elections 2018 2020 2022 2024
Ballot measures List of Colorado ballot measures 1893 2 1972 8 1974 1 1982 1 1992 2 2000 20 2004 36 2006 38 41 42 43 44 E F G H I J K 2008 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 54 58 59 L 2010 62 2012 64 2018 A 2020 B C EE 113 114 2022 125 126 FF 2023 HH II 2024 79 80 I J 127 128 129 131
Colorado Springs Local elections 2019 Mayoral elections 1995 1997 sp 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Denver Mayoral elections 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
El Paso County Local elections 2018
Pueblo Mayoral elections 2023–24
v t e

2024 Colorado Proposition 131 was a proposed ballot measure that appeared before voters in Colorado during the 2024 general election. The citizen initiated proposition would have replaced Colorado's partisan primaries with non-partisan blanket primaries and would have implemented ranked-choice (instant-runoff) voting for most statewide and state legislative general elections in which the top four candidates in the primary would have qualified for the general election ballot.^[1]

Currently, Colorado uses partisan primaries to select who appears on general election ballots and a first past the post voting system like most US states. Had Proposition 131 passed, Colorado would have switched to a system of blanket primaries and ranked choice general elections. Similar systems were adopted by Maine in 2016 and Alaska in 2020. The proposition was initiated by citizen petition, largely funded by health care executive Kent Thiry. Similar proposals were on the ballot in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Oregon, funded by a network of donors of which Thiry is a part.^[1]

In 2024, Governor Jared Polis signed into law Senate Bill 210 which heightened requirements for the adoption of ranked choice voting in Colorado. Specifically, the law requires that at least 12 communities of various required sizes adopt ranked choice voting at a local level before it can be implemented statewide. This made it unclear how quickly ranked choice voting would have been implemented in Colorado had Proposition 131 passed. However, Polis had committed to ensuring ranked choice voting was put into effect by the 2028 election if voters approved the proposition. In addition, Polis endorsed the measure.^[2]

The proposition will appeared on the ballot as follows:^[3]

Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes creating new election processes for certain federal and state offices, and, in connection therewith, creating a new all-candidate primary election for U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, CU board of regents, state board of education, and the Colorado state legislature; allowing voters to vote for any one candidate per office, regardless of the voter’s or candidate’s political party affiliation; providing that the four candidates for each office who receive the most votes advance to the general election; and in the general election, allowing voters to rank candidates for each office on their ballot, adopting a process for how the ranked votes are tallied, and determining the winner to be the candidate with the highest number of votes in the final tally?

The campaign in support of Proposition 131 was led by Colorado Voters First. Additionally, Colorado's official voter guide offered the arguments in support of Proposition 131 that a blanket primary system would create an equal opportunity for everyone to participate in primary elections, increase voter turnout in primaries, and make general elections more competitive. It also offered that ranking candidates in order of preference in general elections gives voters more choices, minimizes the spoiler effect, and results in outcomes that better reflect the will of the voters.

There were two main groups leading opposition against Proposition 131: Voters Rights Colorado and First Choice Counts.^[5] Colorado's official voter guide also offered the arguments against Proposition 131 that the measure will make elections more expensive, confuse voters, and weaken faith in the outcomes of Colorado elections. Additionally, it offered that political parties should have separate primaries, with unaffiliated voters already being able to participate in Colorado's primary system, and a blanket primary system would result in more expensive primary campaigns.^[6]

Proposition 131 required a simple majority to pass. It failed, only receiving 46% of the vote.^[12]

Proposition 131

Choice	Votes	%
No	1,595,256	53.53
Yes	1,385,060	46.47
Total votes	2,980,316	100.00

• 2016 Maine Question 5
• 2020 Alaska Measure 2
• 2024 Idaho Open Primary initiative