Now that proponents of a proposed measure to allow ranked-choice voting in Colorado have reached a fever pitch in their accusations, (“Legislature’s underhanded effort to undermine citizen initiatives, June 11“) I felt I had to weigh in on behalf of Colorado’s 64 county clerks as well as the state lawmaker they targeted.

At issue is an amendment added to election-related legislation that addresses real concerns around the complexities of implementing major changes to our current voting processes and procedures without first building these new processes and procedures — nothing more. Far from the histrionic cries from ballot initiative proponents, never has a county clerk refused to implement a voter-approved initiative. And we never would.

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We will, however, always advocate for the thoughtful implementation of any changes to our election system. We will also always advocate for planning and resources to ensure voters are educated on any changes made because ballot access — along with election security and accuracy — is paramount. We know this is a real need, particularly given the way ballots would appear if the proposed changes are approved by voters.

In the case of one proposed election-related ballot initiative, the three statewide elections in 2028 will each be very different. In March, June and November, voters will have significantly different options and ballots each election.

• The March presidential primary would be a typical majority-wins election. Republican, Democrat and unaffiliated voters will receive a ballot for this election with unaffiliated voters receiving ballots for both major parties, but voting only in one.
• The June state primary election would be a mixed election, under existing proposals. All voters will receive a ballot containing all federal and state primary contests. These primaries will be completely open, with all candidates for an office in one contest. The top-four vote-getters, regardless of party, will move forward to the general election in November. Then, Republican, Democrat and unaffiliated voters will receive a second ballot containing only county-level primary contests for just one party. One winner in each contest will move on to the general election and face the winner of the other major party primary and any minor party candidates.
• The November general election will be a mixed election as well. State and federal candidate contests will be conducted using ranked-choice voting. The rest of the ballot, including all county races, municipal races, judicial races and all ballot questions will be conducted under the traditional majority wins approach — all of this, on the same ballot.

Three different election models in the same year — this simple example demonstrates a clear need for additional voter education, support, and a reasonable runway for implementation for changes. In some counties, current voting equipment cannot count ranked-choice ballots. Parts of the system responsible for reporting results must be significantly upgraded. And Colorado’s existing auditing following each election will have to be reworked entirely across all 64 counties. We won’t apologize for calling these significant issues out and insisting we have the needed time and investment to ensure we can run safe and accurate elections. State Rep. Emily Sirota, the state lawmaker who offered the amendment being mischaracterized, deserves our support and thanks for helping to elevate these critical issues.

Lost in the well-funded attacks by ranked-choice voting proponents is the desperate need for other provisions of the legislation. Though the press has chosen to categorize the bill as a election “clean-up” bill, in truth, the legislation included meaningful help for clerks who find themselves the continued targets of persistent attacks from election deniers. Rep. Sirota worked with us, including helping us add a late amendment clarifying county clerks are the chief election officer in their county and may not be removed by their county’s board of county commissioners. We have proof members of the Park County Board of County Commissioners were actively plotting to remove their duly elected county clerk because she refuses to repeat the tired lie the 2020 election was stolen.

The bill includes protection for clerks from excessive open records requests intended to overwhelm office staff, not serve the public good of government transparency. The legislation also allows the governor to move the convening of presidential electors after the election if threats to the process are discovered.

Expansion of voter access in the bill includes adding ballot drop boxes to college campuses and creating a system for how an eligible voter can cast their ballot during an emergency situation, such as following a natural disaster where they have been displaced from their residence or if they are a first responder and unable to vote due to their job.

County clerks will always advocate for every tool and resource needed to ensure every eligible voter in their county has the ability to vote their conscience in each election. And we won’t apologize for that, regardless of how loud our opponents are, or how much money they are willing to spend.

Matt Crane is the executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association and the former Arapahoe County clerk.