You don’t have to be paying close attention to our national political conversation to know that we are increasingly dividing ourselves by sides, networks, and extremes. But if you haven’t been paying close attention, you may not be aware of a remarkable exception taking place in Colorado.

This past summer, a nonpartisan group of Republicans and Democrats — ranging from current and former statewide office holders to mayors of many of our biggest cities, from former cabinet secretaries and state lawmakers to a former Colorado Supreme Court Justice — came together around the sobering reality that Colorado’s governing structures face real challenges that can only be addressed by voters. And the pathway to a better Colorado, we believe, lies in leading people from throughout the state in a constructive discussion about what kind of government they want. This isn’t about Democrats or Republicans; it’s about building a better Colorado for future generations.

In looking at the big picture, the issues break down into three areas: the ease with which Colorado’s constitution is amended; decreased participation and confidence in our election systems; and the imbalance between citizens’ expectations of services that government provides, and the ability of our state government to meet those expectations.

Practically, those issues demonstrate themselves in a variety of ways. With more than 150 amendments, Colorado’s constitution is among the longest in the nation, and considerably longer than the U.S. Constitution, which has just 27 amendments. Colorado leads the nation as far as the growth of voters who choose not to affiliate with a party, yet those 1 million “unaffiliated” voters can’t participate in primary elections paid for by their tax dollars. And, despite a growing economy, we find ourselves in a position where we cannot fully fund education, maintenance, transportation, and many other core government functions.

With the challenges identified, the Building a Better Colorado project was created. The intent of Building a Better Colorado is not to dictate solutions, but instead to engage people across the state in conversations about the challenges we face and in exploration of potential solutions. We are hosting the discussions, but Coloradans are driving the outcomes.

Since early September, we’ve met with hundreds of civic leaders at more than a dozen Community Summits held throughout the state. At gatherings in Aurora and Denver earlier this week, more than 300 people met to exchange ideas and opinions about helping to put our state on a path to success. In the weeks ahead, we will hold more than a dozen additional meetings in metro Denver, northern and southern Colorado, and on the Eastern Plains.

We know that it’s simply not possible for everyone who is interested in participating to match their schedules to ours, which is why we launched BetterCO.org as a virtual town square for this effort. The website allows anyone who is interested to review the challenges facing the state, learn about the pros and cons of different policy options, and to offer their views or weigh in on potential solutions. It also includes information on upcoming meetings and summaries of our previous meetings so people can see what others are saying around the state.

Our goal is to listen to people from all corners of Colorado in hopes of coming up with consensus solutions that could be placed on the ballot for voters to make a final determination on next fall. At its core, this effort is based on a belief that voters will have the final say. For example, we have made a commitment as a group that, in reviewing ideas to address the state’s financial future, we will not support any idea that would seek to undo voters’ sole authority for approving new taxes.

Some of the issues being explored by Building a Better Colorado have been topics of discussion among community leaders and organizations for years. Others have only recently come into the public sphere, but are no less deserving of our consideration.

While it may be OK in some quarters that Washington is being governed in between self-imposed deadlines and manufactured crises, Colorado has historically chosen a more pragmatic path. Building a Better Colorado is just the latest example, and we hope you will join us.

Reeves Brown is project director for Building a Better Colorado. For additional information, visit www.BetterCO.org.