Colorado Democrats are diving into the national redistricting fight with a proposal that would sideline the state’s voter-approved independent commission and redraw congressional lines to their clear advantage.
The effort is led by a newly formed group, Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, backed by the state Democratic Party. The group plans to place the ballot measure before voters in November 2026 to suspend Colorado’s independent congressional redistricting commission for the 2028 and 2030 elections.
If voters approve it, lawmakers would adopt a temporary map intended to net Democrats three additional U.S. House seats. (RELATED: Jasmine Crockett Unleashes Profanity-Filled Tirade Against Supreme Court Over Texas Redistricting)
A break from the 2018 reforms
Colorado voters created the independent redistricting commission in 2018 through a constitutional amendment. The goal was simple: remove map-drawing power from partisan lawmakers and reduce gerrymandering.
The new proposal would temporarily override that system.
Under the draft map already released by Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, three currently Republican-held districts would shift toward Democrats. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s 4th Congressional District would remain the state’s only solid Republican stronghold. Colorado’s current congressional delegation is evenly split, 4-4.
Supporters say the move is defensive. Curtis Hubbard, a spokesman for the group, said no one wanted to take this step but argued it’s necessary to counter what Democrats view as election manipulation in other states.
“We can sit back and do nothing, or we can take action to approve temporary maps that will help keep our elections on a level playing field,” he added.
Republican-dominated legislatures in states such as Texas and Ohio have pursued mid-decade redistricting efforts backed by President Donald Trump. Democrats in Colorado say they should not sit on the sidelines as other states redraw maps to gain seats in Congress. (RELATED: Florida Voters Challenge DeSantis Redistricting Plan In Court)
A national fight reaches Colorado
As The Colorado Sun reports, this is the most serious attempt yet to bring the Centennial State into the broader national battle over control of the U.S. House:
The Coloradans for a Level Playing Field proposal would ask voters to adopt a new congressional map in Colorado for the 2028 and 2030 elections before letting the state’s independent congressional redistricting commission draw a new map for the 2032 election as planned based on 2030 census data.
Colorado’s current congressional map was drawn by the commission in 2021. Voters handed congressional and state legislative redistricting power to the commission in 2018 by passing a pair of ballot measures amending the state constitution.
Hubbard declined to say who is funding Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, which formed as a state issue committee Feb. 4 and won’t have to report its donors until May. But the organization is clearly tied to Democratic interests.
The group’s registered agent, Rachel Gordon, is a political operative who works on Democratic campaigns and causes. Hubbard also frequently works with Democrats. And Hilltop Public Solutions, a Democratic political firm, is also working on the measures.
Two other groups in Colorado are also developing redistricting proposals, but Coloradans for a Level Playing Field appears to have the early financial edge. Organizers acknowledge that collecting the roughly 125,000 valid signatures needed to qualify for the ballot will cost millions of dollars.
That’s just the beginning. A statewide ballot campaign in Colorado routinely runs into the tens of millions.
Critics warn of precedent
Opponents argue the proposal undercuts the very reform voters demanded just eight years ago. The independent commission was designed to prevent exactly this kind of partisan map drawing.
If approved, the temporary map would expire after the 2030 elections, and the state would revert to the independent commission process. But critics say even a temporary suspension chips away at voter trust and opens the door to future partisan maneuvers. (RELATED: Indiana Governor Promises Action Against Republicans Who Blocked Redistricting Plan)
The debate now turns to whether Democrats can gather the signatures and funding needed to put the question before voters in 2026. If they succeed, Colorado voters will face a clear choice: stick with the independent system they approved in 2018 or join the escalating national redistricting arms race.
READ NEXT: Military Landmark Entangled In Newly Blue State’s Rising Political Storm
I’m gonna ‘guess’ that one of the main reasons they are taking this action is to counter voter id – since that has broad based support (almost 80% of dems!) nationwide they need to have another way to cheat. Show me I’m wrong.