Colorado Supreme Court Rejects Ballot Measures
The Colorado Supreme Court declined several ballot measures on Monday that aimed to compel voters to redraw the state’s congressional maps prior to the 2028 election.
This proposal sought to create congressional maps that would potentially benefit Democrats in as many as seven out of Colorado’s eight U.S. House districts. In two unanimous decisions, the court determined that the measure violated Colorado’s regulations regarding single-subject ballot initiatives.
The justices concluded that the proposal would not merely establish temporary congressional maps. It would also alter how, when, and by whom redistricting would be conducted. Chief Justice Monica Marquez noted that this proposal would cause significant shifts to Colorado’s longstanding redistricting framework, affecting its timing, standards, and oversight.
“We conclude that these are separate and distinct subjects,” Marquez stated in her opinion.
She mentioned that the changes being proposed extend far beyond the supporters’ stated intention of simply instituting temporary congressional maps. Justice Richard Gabriel explained in a unanimous opinion for the court that both measures did not adhere to the constitutional requirement that ballot initiatives focus on a single subject.
“Concluding otherwise, and allowing initiative proponents to advance interconnected measures like these, would enable them to indirectly achieve goals they could not manage directly, thus undermining the single-subject requirement,” Gabriel pointed out.
This proposal followed Democrats’ efforts to modify Colorado’s congressional maps ahead of the 2028 election, leading to Republicans introducing competing legislation. The current congressional mapping in Colorado was established by an independent redistricting commission formed by voters after the 2020 Census.
Presently, Colorado’s delegation consists of four Democrats and four Republicans, with one district deemed competitive. If the Democratic-initiated bill had passed, it could have provided the party with an edge in up to seven of the eight districts in 2028 and 2030.
The ruling also removes Colorado from ongoing disputes over congressional maps. These tensions heightened after the Texas Republican Party sanctioned new districts, prompting similar endeavors in other states.
Supporters of the measure raised around $2.3 million and spent over $2 million, primarily on signature collection to get the proposal on the ballot. Major contributors included the Fairness Project, American Opportunity Action, and the U.S. House Democratic Political Action Committee.
