Colorado Voted YES on National Popular Vote Interstate Compact in 2020

The Colorado Legislature in 2019 passed legislation to join the National Popular Vote (NPV). NPV is an agreement among US states and the District of Columbia to award all their respective 270 electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the overall popular vote. Sponsors of SB19-042 were Senator Mike Foote and House Representatives Jeni Arndt and Emily Sirota. The bill passed out of Senate on January 23rd (19-16). The bill passed out of House on February 21st (34-29). Governor Jared Polis signed the bill into law March 15th, 2019.

The National Popular Vote bill will take effect when enacted into law by states possessing 270 electoral votes (a majority of the 538 total electoral votes). It has been enacted into law in 16 jurisdictions accounting for 196 electoral votes, including 5 small jurisdictions (DC, DE, HI, RI, VT), 8 medium-sized states (CO, CT, MD, MA, NJ, NM, OR, WA), and 3 big states (CA, IL, NY). The Compact will go into effect with an additional 74 electoral votes.

Visit YES on NPV

 KRFC National Popular Vote Interview

National Popular Vote FAQ

Understanding National Popular Vote

CO NPV Fact Sheet

League of Women Voters of Colorado Position

National Popular Vote Web Site

NPV Agreement Among States

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is a simple rule change that requires candidates to be elected with the support of the majority of voters.

• Due to the power of the backup choice, candidates are incentivized to run civil issues-based campaigning and to reach out to a broader base of voters, because not only does a candidate want to be a voter’s first ranked choice, but also to be a voter’s second ranked choice.
• Voters are free to vote their values without "wasting their vote," and more candidates are free to run without fear of "splitting the vote."
• If you are displeased with the lack of a political center, RCV allows independent voters more options to communicate their preferences.
• RCV by itself is not a threat to our political duopoly system, but it does open the political process to women, minorities, and third-party candidates.
• RCV protects and defends democracy by requiring candidates to be elected with the support of the majority of voters.
• Ranked choice voting is a better way to vote. RCV is endorsed by the League of Women Voters of the US and the League of Women Voters of Larimer County.

Jane Hamburger, spokesperson, League of Women Voters of Larimer County. Here is the link to Jane Hamburger’s LTE that was published in the Coloradoan 9/30/2022.

Learn More About Ranked Choice Voting

Frequently Asked Questions

Watch an interview Community leaders discuss a better way to vote for our Mayor and City Council.

RCV for COLORADO

LWV of Boulder County - Voting Methods Team The Voting Methods Team advocates for alternatives to plurality voting.

LWV of Colorado position statement

Video on Proportional Representation by LWV-Larimer County Election Reform Member, Brian Woodruff

How Proportional Ranked Choice Voting Works

Fair Representation Act

Striving to remove the implied indebtedness of elected officials to large campaign contributors is very important in local governments as well as state and federal levels. Furthermore, limiting campaign contributions encourages diversity of candidates. 

Advocating with Represent Fort Collins, the League of Women Voters of Larimer County achieved the following rule changes at the City level:

              • contributions from an LLC are now capped within the LLC owner's individual contribution limits

              • limits on contributions to political committees

              • elimination of non-itemized contributions, or "fish-bowl parties”

The new rules mirror state law. They also more accurately reflect the City’s own legislative declaration that large campaign contributions create at least an appearance of corruption. Prior to this, campaign finance reports show at least one individual had bypassed individual limits by donating through many LLCs they lead. One individual donating from multiple LLCs unfairly amplifies one person’s voice many times over one individual who does not own LLCs and this will no longer be a potential strategy for campaign funding of elections. 

The combined total contribution limits are now $100 for mayoral campaigns and $75 for those campaigning to be city council members. 

Our League has much appreciation for our local ally Represent Fort Collins, a grassroots group that has persistently pursued limiting the influence of money in politics. 

City Council to consider election finance changes   City Council: 'LLC's are not constituents'

The Election Reform team with Represent Fort Collins and the community successfully advocated City Council for an increase of the Independent Expenditures limit from $100 to $250 (down from the proposed $1,000 threshold) and a "paid for by" requirement on all campaign communications from both registered committees and individuals.

After City Council voted unanimously to adopt the recommendations, City Council member Kristin Stephens said, “The community has clearly spoken to say they want more transparency”. Coloradoan article on open transparency

Special thanks to League members Marge Norskog, Jody DesChenes & Robbie Moreland from Represent Fort Collins, for being outstanding citizens who affected City policy for full and timely disclosure of campaign contributions and expenditures. The City’s Elections Code Committee decided to change procedure and make their meetings open to the public with citizen input at the beginning of meetings. You no longer need an invite to attend ECC meetings. Represent FC has determined that the integrity of our City elections is dependent upon citizen review and will continue to do so.

Listen to our KRFC interview on campaign finance reform at the local level with Robbie Moreland and Jody DesChenes from Represent Fort Collins: KRFC Represent Fort Collins 2020 Interview

July 2023 - The Connecticut General Assembly passed this year’s most pro-voter legislation with the adoption of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of Connecticut. The bill includes provisions that:

• Require local governments with a history of discriminatory voting practices to obtain preclearance before making certain voting changes.
• Provide individual voters with the ability to go directly to state court to challenge discriminatory voting laws.
• Improve multilingual language assistance for voters not fluent in English.

Connecticut Blazes a Path for Democracy

November 25, 2022

Fair Vote Action

Fort Collins, Colorado, said YES to ranked choice voting.  Fort Collins has one of the most active local RCV movements in the country, and Ranked Choice Voting for Fort Collins worked with over 100 volunteers on phone banking, texting, door-to-door canvassing, placing lawn signs around town, and holding public educational events.

Read the article:  Ranked choice voting just had its biggest election day ever

Coloradoan, November 9, 2022

Fort Collins voters approve using RCV in City elections with 58% of the vote

The passage of the new voting procedure makes Fort Collins the largest city in in Colorado to adopt ranked-choice voting.

Read the article:  Fort Collins 2022 election ballot issues results ranked choice voting

Voters in Boulder, CO used Ranked Choice Voting for the first time in their November 2023 election, after a 2020 ballot measure passed with 78% support. A new exit poll by Citizen Data, conducted on behalf of the RCV for Colorado Education Fund, shows that the Boulder voters liked RCV, found it simple to use and want to expand its use in Colorado. 

Poll: Boulder voters love RCV

In 2020, a citizen committee “Our Mayor, Our Choice” successfully put forth a City of Boulder Charter Amendment Petition to change the way the City of Boulder elects its mayor through ranked choice voting.

Visit Boulder County.gov

Colorado Chamber of Commerce Takes Support Position on Ranked Choice, Electoral Reforms

Read about it here:

CO Chamber Supports RCV, Electoral Reform

The Fair Representation Act (FRA) would:



(1) implement ranked choice voting (RCV) for all U.S. House elections,

(2) create multi-member U.S. House districts, and

(3) establish an independent redistricting commission to combat gerrymandering. 

This is critical to leveling the playing field for women candidates and reaching gender-balanced governance.

If the Fair Representation Act passes, states will use RCV to elect their delegation to the US congress. The U.S. Senate will use single-winner RCV, and the US House will use proportional RCV (p-RCV). This would mean that both rural Democrats and urban Republican would get their fair share of the say.

Read about the Fair Representation Act at fairvote.org

Read Full Text of H.R. 7740

November 15, 2023

Senator Michael Bennet has reintroduced the Voter Choice Act

Bennet, King reintroduce bill to promote Ranked Choice Voting

RCV is easy to implement, and the Voter Choice Act would make it even easier. Voter Choice Act funds can go toward upgrading voting equipment and tabulation software (all modern voting machines are RCV-compatible), appropriate ballot design, development and publication of educational materials, and voter outreach. That's in addition to the cost savings that many cities and counties see when they use RCV to replace runoff elections!  

Voter Choice Act

Press release October 6, 2021

Bennet, King, Phillips Introduce Bill to Promote Ranked Choice Voting

The Voter Choice Act supports local and state governments that choose to transition to a ranked choice voting (RCV) model for elections. Colorado Senator Michael Bennet believes this can discourage extreme partisanship, incentivize a greater focus on substantive issues, and ensure that election winners better reflect the views of most.

The Voter Choice Act provides $40 million in federal grants to cover up to 50 percent of the cost for local and state governments that voluntarily choose to transition to RCV.

Read the press release:  Bennet, King, Phillips Introduce Bill to Promote Ranked Choice Voting

Read the bill text:  Voter Choice Act

“Senator Bennet is standing up for all voters by introducing the Voter Choice Act. Our current system limits competition and choice. In towns that use Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), voters are free to cast their ballots for candidates they love the most, without fear of helping to elect candidates they like the least. The results are crystal clear: voters are heard, and they know it. Democrats, Republicans, minor party, and unaffiliated voters agree that RCV is a common-sense way to strengthen democracy and put more power in the hands of the voters. The Voter Choice Act will help more places opt to use RCV. RCV for Colorado is grateful to Senator Bennet for supporting the political freedom that every American deserves,” said Linda Templin, Executive Director for RCV for Colorado.