Majority of Colorado voters support election reform initiative, poll shows | Elections

More than half of Colorado voters support a ballot initiative that would reform the state’s election process, according to a new poll from Keating Research.

The poll asked 800 registered voters whether they would vote yes or no to Proposition 131. The initiative proposes two major changes: an open primary election in which all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, appear on a single ballot, and the introduction of ranked choice voting in general elections, in which voters can rank candidates according to their preferences.

According to the poll, 64 percent of respondents said they would either vote yes or lean toward voting yes on Prop 131, while 25 percent said they would vote no or lean toward voting no. Eleven percent said they were undecided.

The initiative appears to enjoy broad support across the political spectrum: 75 percent of Democrats, 64 percent of independent voters and 53 percent of Republicans support Proposition 131.

The proposal is backed by former DaVita Dialysis CEO Kent Thiry, who has put numerous successful initiatives on the ballot in Colorado, including two 2016 measures that established a presidential primary in the state and allowed unaffiliated voters to participate in the primary.