Voters in Colorado will decide whether to reform the electoral system and introduce ranked-choice voting nationwide

Colorado voters will decide in November whether to make a number of important changes to the state's electoral system.

Initiative 310, which was approved for the November ballot on Thursday, would change most Colorado primaries to pit candidates from all parties against each other, followed by a ranked-choice general election.

The measure's backers, led by Kent Thiry, the wealthy former CEO of Denver-based dialysis giant DaVita, needed to collect more than 125,000 voter signatures to put the initiative on the ballot.

In ranked-choice elections, voters rank candidates in order of preference. If a candidate receives more than 50% of the first-vote votes, they are declared the winner. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the candidates with the fewest first-vote supporters are eliminated. The process continues until a candidate receives more than 50% of the total vote. (This video explains the process in more detail.)

However, if the initiative is passed, it will not go into effect immediately – if at all. The reason for this is a controversial clause in Senate Bill 210, which was passed by the House this year.

The clause requires 12 Colorado municipalities in districts of a certain size and with a certain demographic composition to use ranked choice voting before ranked choice voting can be used in a race for state or federal office. In addition, the amendment states that Colorado cannot switch to the new primary voting system proposed by Colorado Voters First until that requirement is met.

Gov. Jared Polis nearly vetoed Senate Bill 210, a more comprehensive election bill, because of the provision, which was added in the final days of the General Assembly legislative session and first publicly disclosed by The Colorado Sun. Polis said the provision potentially violates the state constitution — and is at least designed to thwart the will of voters.

Polis justified his decision to sign the bill by saying he believes statewide ranked-choice voting can be implemented in Colorado by 2028. He promised to convene state leaders to make that happen.

The measure, as currently proposed, is set to take effect in 2026. It would apply to elections for Congress, governorships, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, state school board and University of Colorado regents, and state legislative elections. It would not apply to presidential elections or local elections, such as district attorney or county commission seats.

Colorado Voters First, the committee behind Initiative 310, was generously funded by Thiry.

Colorado Voters First had raised $2.5 million as of June 26. Thiry contributed $1 million of that, while Unite America, of which Thiry is a board member, gave the committee another $1 million.

Walmart heir Ben Walton donated $250,000 to Colorado Voters First in June, as did Marc Merrill, a video game developer.

The group will submit its next report on its fundraising and spending on September 3. Here are some of the consultants it has paid so far:

• Former Colorado Republican Chairman Dick Wadhams
• Republican strategist Tyler Sandberg
• Political consultant Sage Naumann, who was formerly communications director for the Colorado Republican Senate caucus
• Election expert Amber McReynolds, who formerly headed Denver's Elections Department and now sits on the U.S. Postal Service Board of Directors
• Political strategist Curtis Hubbard, who often works with Democratic candidates and causes
• Political strategist Anthony Carlson, who has worked with Democratic candidates in the past

Thiry also donated $1.2 million to Let Colorado Vote Action, a group affiliated with Initiative 310 that spent money on the House primary this year.

“This initiative is based on two simple principles: Every voter should have the freedom to vote for any candidate in any taxpayer-funded election; and a candidate must receive the support of a majority of voters to be elected,” said Hubbard, a spokesman for Colorado Voters First. “Our current system limits voters' choices and gives too much power to political insiders and special interests. In November, we can send the message that elections belong to the voters – not the political parties.”

Voter Rights Colorado, a group opposing Initiative 310 and backed by a number of progressive organizations, has also begun raising money, albeit on a much smaller scale. The committee received $20,000 from Coloradans For Accessible and Secure Elections, a nonprofit founded in December that does not disclose its donors.

“This ballot measure requires Colorado to elect half of our candidates under an overly complicated system and the other half under our current system,” said Rep. Lorena Garcia, an Adams County Democrat and member of the Voters Rights Colorado coalition, in a written statement. “Kent Thiry and his billionaire cronies have decided to disrupt our elections and saddle Colorado taxpayers with an expensive bill and a confusing mess of an election plan.”

Only a few cities and towns in Colorado currently use ranked choice voting in local elections.

Initiative 310 will be part of a long list of measures on the statewide ballot in November, including measures that would enshrine abortion access in the state constitution, create a new class of veterinary professionals and impose an excise tax on the sale of firearms and ammunition.