A half-dozen congressional redistricting ballot measures were filed Friday by a Colorado advocacy group in response to proposals filed last week from a group seeking to flip three Republican-held U.S. House seats in two years.

“The gist of it is adding criteria around competitiveness and not allowing maps to be drawn to benefit one political party,” Michael Field of Advance Colorado told Colorado Politics on Tuesday.

“We think if voters were asked to pick between a hyper-partisan map and an independent map, they would choose the independent one,” he added.

Of the six measures filed by Advance Colorado, five would amend the state constitution and one would change the state statutes.

One of the constitutional proposals is the most extensive. It seeks to repeal and replace Title V, Section 44 of the 2018 constitutional amendment that created Colorado’s independent redistricting commission.

The proposal largely mirrors existing constitutional language but adds a requirement that any congressional map drawn in 2028 be approved by both the redistricting commission and the Colorado Supreme Court.

That same language, requiring approval from the commission and the court, is included in the other five proposals.

One of the five adds language to Article 5, saying “Colorado shall maintain the specific independent redistricting process” currently set in Article V, section 44, and “reject out-of-state efforts designed to compromise or suspend Colorado’s fair and independent election process.”

The statutory measure applies to any temporary map drawn for 2028, with the same requirement of commission and court approval.

Two other constitutional proposals would require that the commission not adopt any plan that divides communities of interest, favors a political party, or constitutes gerrymandering.

The last constitutional measure, in addition to the approval language, includes a section that prohibits any map — not just in 2028 — from being drawn to favor one political party or minimize politically competitive districts.

Colorado’s constitution already prohibits gerrymandering of congressional districts, defined as drawing districts to favor one political party over another. That issue has been central to redistricting disputes that began last year.

That’s at the heart of the gerrymander fights that started last year.

President Donald Trump’s call last year to redraw U.S. House districts ahead of the 2026 elections has sparked a wave of political maneuvering among state Republicans and Democrats that continues to unfold across the country.

Texas first redrew its congressional map, passed by the Republican-led legislature, which quickly drew federal lawsuits. California responded with a referendum on new U.S. House districts. The referendum, backed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic state lawmakers, is intended to help Democrats win five additional seats in California to offset Trump’s moves in Texas aimed at gaining five Republican districts.

The U.S. House currently stands at 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats, with three vacancies. Traditionally, the president’s political party loses seats in the midterm elections. The website 270towin forecasts 210 seats for Democrats, 206 for Republicans, and 19 toss-ups for 2026, based on consensus forecasts.

Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, a Democratic-aligned group backed by the House Majority PAC, earlier filed four versions of a 2026 ballot measure that would temporarily suspend Colorado’s independent congressional redistricting commission and redraw the state’s map.

Ultimately, the group wants to increase the chances of Democrats winning three U.S. House seats in 2028. Republicans currently hold those seats.

The four proposed ballot measures filed by Coloradans for a Level Playing Field are:

• Version 1: A single statutory initiative moving the Congressional redistricting commission from the state constitution to the statutes; approving a map for the 2028 and 2030 elections; and reverting to an independent commission after the 2030 Census. Needs 50% to pass.
• Versions 2 and 3: A statutory initiative moving the Congressional redistricting commission from the state constitution to the statutes; paired with a second statutory initiative approving a map for the 2028 and 2030 elections; and reverting to an independent commission after the 2030 Census. Both would need 50% support to pass and take effect.
• Version 4: A single amendment to the state constitution to suspend the Congressional redistricting commission for 2028 and 2030; putting a map in statute to be used in 2028 and 2030 elections; and reverting to the independent commission after the 2030 Census. Needs 55% to pass. 

Curtis Hubbard, who represents Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, called the new proposals a “desperate play by Donald Trump and his MAGA enablers to protect the gains they’ve made across the country via mid-decade redistricting.”

Hubbard added that “any effort to sideline Colorado and silence our voices while MAGA Republicans continue to tilt the national playing field to their advantage is destined to fail.”

The group said it won’t be deterred in its efforts, describing its campaign as letting Colorado voters send a message that the state won’t play by one set of rules, while Trump and his allies ignore them altogether.

Two issue committees have now been filed with the Secretary of State’s TRACER system for the redistricting issue. That includes one, filed on Feb. 4 by Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, and a second, Our Vote Counts Colorado, filed last week. The latter is tied to Tierney Lawrence, the law firm that represents the state Democratic party, as well as Democratic officials, candidates and issues.