The Colorado Democracy Paradox

Over the past year, Courageous Colorado has traveled across the state listening to residents, local leaders, organizers, educators, business voices, and community builders about the future of Colorado’s democracy. Combined with indepednent research and conversations with partners across the political spectrum, that work helped identify what we call the Colorado Democracy Paradox.

Colorado has built an accessible voting system, yet many of the systems that determine who competes for office, who holds political power, and how people are represented remain difficult to navigate. For Courageous Colorado Action, that gap points to opportunities for practical policy change.

Research helps illustrate the challenge. In 2022, 54 of Colorado’s 65 state House districts were considered safe for one major party, and the Unite America Institute estimates that just 13% of eligible voters cast what it defines as a “meaningful vote” in determining the composition of the state House. Research by political scientists Boris Shor and Nolan McCarty has also documented substantial partisan polarization in Colorado’s legislature.

Courageous Colorado Action exists to turn these challenges into opportunities for action. Building on the community engagement and research of Courageous Colorado, we align people and organizations around shared priorities, advocate for practical policy solutions, and advance reforms at the local and state levels.

Our goal is to help build a more open and representative democracy where more Coloradans can participate meaningfully, more communities have a voice, and political systems are responsive to the people they serve.

Explore the original research that helped define the Colorado Democracy Paradox in our original report, Colorado’s Closed Road to the Ballot.