Colorado reform groups push amendment to elections cleanup bill to enable municipal proportional RCV

Advocates for proportional multi‑winner ranked‑choice voting (RCV) in Colorado said they are pursuing an amendment to the state’s elections "cleanup" bill to create implementing rules that municipal governments can use to adopt proportional RCV.

Unidentified speaker (S1), who described the outreach effort, said stakeholder conversations have been broadly positive and that "the stakeholder community does seem very supportive of this," adding that Senator Katie Wallace "has indicated that she is supportive of it" pending community confirmation. Advocates told the task force they expect the amendment to be eligible for a Senate State Affairs hearing around mid‑March.

The effort responds to a practical barrier: while municipalities already have statutory authority to adopt ranked voting methods, the secretary of state has "never promulgated rules to guide the process," S1 said, and advocates view enabling legislation as necessary to create a clear path for implementation.

Organizers described the legislative approach as pragmatic. Rather than filing a standalone late bill this session, they said they plan to pursue an amendment to House Bill 1113 (the elections cleanup bill) and treat a standalone bill as plan B, or a 2027 effort if needed. "So we're pretty optimistic," S1 said, while acknowledging the plan is "not a done deal yet."

Advocates are mobilizing endorsements and outreach materials. S1 said a fact sheet and endorser list would be circulated for external distribution and asked groups to add names and logos. Celeste (S2) praised the outreach team and singled out Dylan Rankin for credit: "I think Dylan deserves a lot of credit," she said, noting his role in conversations with Senator Wallace and local contacts in Longmont.

Groups on the call offered logistical support. Wes Sawyer (S4) said the Forward Party would be willing to coordinate witnesses or rally members for committee hearings if dates are shared. RCV for Colorado representatives said they could bring the endorsement request to their board; participants also discussed coordinating with Courageous Colorado and the League of Women Voters on informational forums while noting nonpartisan optics.

The organizers emphasized that adoption by municipalities would remain voluntary; the proposed change is intended to "make the path easier" for jurisdictions that choose proportional multi‑winner RCV rather than to require adoption.

The task force agreed to circulate outreach materials, collect endorsements and reconvene on outreach and legislative strategy as the mid‑March hearing window approaches.