Advocates on the left have long touted ranked-choice voting as a democratizing force. However, a 2024 Colorado ballot measure that would implement instant runoff elections for major state and federal races has been largely criticized by those same groups.

In addition to establishing the order of election for the general elections, Proposition 131 would implement a four best primaries for governor, attorney general and elections for the federal Congress, among others. This new primary process would put candidates from all parties competing for four spots on the general election ballot; only the candidates with the most votes in the primaries would advance.

In theory, the measure would allow four candidates from the same party to compete in a general election (or four candidates from four different parties). Critics say the change would increase the money and manpower needed to run a successful political campaign because primaries would be as important as the general election.

“At the moment, the Colorado primary tends to favor people who are more centrist or have more connections,” he said. bouldering progressives Lisa Sweeney-Miran, executive board member. “We don’t think it’s going to solve that problem. “We think it’s going to exacerbate it.”

Essentially, Proposition 131 aims to eliminate Colorado’s primary format and replace it with a winner-take-all system, much like our current general election process. Critics, like Sweeney-Miran, say the harm of so-called “jungle primaries” would negate the benefit of an instant runoff general election. However, proponents have argued that any move toward a ranked-choice system is a step in the right direction.

“While Colorado has some of the best voter access and integrity protections, no voting system is perfect,” Governor Jared Polis posted on Facebook in September. “I think the instant runoff is better than our current system because it gives voters more options.”

How does ranked choice affect political outcomes?

There’s no way to know exactly how ranked-choice will affect politics in Colorado beforehand, but political scientists in recent years have conducted research that could offer some clues.

Alan Simmons is research director of the Center for State Policy and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Your research group published a study which investigated how ranked-choice voting could affect the outcome of a presidential election in the United States. In 2020, Simmons and his collaborators requested mock ballots from 62 respondents. Half of the respondents voted in a ranked choice format, which was clearly explained to them, while the other half voted in a standard format.

The researchers found that the ranked-choice system clearly increased support for third-party candidates (Green and Libertarian party candidates).

“People feel liberated because they don’t feel like they’re wasting their vote,” Simmons told KUNC.

Interestingly, Simmons and other researchers have also found that ranked-choice voters tend to be more satisfied with election results.

“Your first choice may not win, but your second choice will,” Simmons said. “You still get that benefit. You also had to mark that on paper.”

While ranked-choice voting has a substantial body of academic research behind it, the first four primaries are relatively unproven. Alaska was the first state to use the format in 2022. This year, Alaska voters will vote on a measure to repeal the system in favor of a partisan primary..

Voter education

According to Simmons, all of the potential benefits of ranked-choice voting depend on an effective voter education outreach effort. On the contrary, if voters do not understand the system, they will not reap the benefits.

Boulder County Clerk and Recorder Molly Fitzpatrick echoed this sentiment. His team supervised the launch of a new ranked election system for the Boulder City mayoral race last year. They were given three years to design, test and implement the system after Boulder voters approved a ballot measure in 2020. According to Fitzpatrick, it was enough time to get the word out.

“We wanted voters to understand what was happening,” Fitzpatrick told KUNC.

Fitzpatrick questioned Proposition 131’s two-year timeline for implementing a statewide ranked election system.

“Right now there is no governance for much of this,” he said. “There are many unanswered questions.”

However, a Senate bill passed last summer It would now require the new format to be tested in a pilot group of local districts before being rolled out statewide. The new law could have the effect of delaying Proposition 131 if it passes. proponents, including Governor PolisThey argue that this delay will give election officials enough time to educate voters and fix problems with the system.

Is there a better way?

Some detractors, including US Representative Lauren Boeberthave spoken out against the ranked choice aspect of Proposition 131. However, most opposition arguments have focused on the measure’s top four clause.

Opponents point out Maine’s Ranked Election System as a better model. In 2017, the state implemented a ranked-choice system at the primary and general election stages for federal seats. The new system maintains partisan primaries, meaning voters choose a single party to cast their vote in the primary.

Opponents argue that Kent Thiry, Proposition 131’s leading supporter, has more to gain from a top-four primary than Colorado voters. Thiry is the CEO of healthcare company DaVita and has contributed nearly $1.5 million of personal funds to support the measure. according to Ballotpedia.

“Billionaires trying to buy elections are part of the problem with politics to begin with, and this move makes it even easier for them to tilt the system in their favor,” Colorado Democratic Party Chairman Shad Murib wrote in a statement. “Proposition 131 is an overly complicated and overly expensive measure created by billionaire Kent Thiry without any input from election clerks.”

Its defenders, on the other hand, argue that the main effect of the new system will be to maximize the impact of each vote, regardless of the voters’ political affiliation.

“Ultimately, our November ballot measure will give voters better choice of candidates and a greater say in our elections,” the website reads. Colorado Voters Firstthe advocacy group formed around Proposition 131.

On Election Day, Coloradans will decide whether to reform the state’s election system or maintain the status quo. The outcome will affect state elections for years to come.