DENVER — Three Republican candidates have filed a lawsuit to prevent unaffiliated voters from participating in Colorado's June primary, raising concerns among independent voters and nonpartisan advocates about voter participation across the state.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Bottoms argued at a hearing Thursday that Colorado's open primary violates constitutional rights.
He said, "This is not going to hurt me. One way or the other, I'm going to win the primary ballot, but it will hurt our caucus state. We will hurt our constitutionality. We will hurt our First Amendment right to assemble and this will hurt Republicans all down the line in many different elections throughout the state."
Political analyst Alton Dillard said this hearing may not be on many peoples radar, but people should care because 'it's an attempt to sort of mute the voice of the largest voting block.' He explained Colorado's large unaffiliated voter base is central to the state's political identity.
"So the fact that the bulk of Colorado voters have chosen not to choose a political party is one of the things that I still thinks keeps us in the purple category," Dillard said.
He said excluding those voters sends the wrong message.
"Well, one of the impacts would be, you know, it would instantly shut out the largest voting block in the state and I'm no mathematician, but that just doesn't add up," said Dillard. "So that's essentially saying, 'Okay, you 50+ percent, you know, you all take a hike' and we're going to just figure this out and it's just it doesn't add up for me.
Unaffiliated voter Summer Coombs said the lawsuit fits into a broader national pattern.
"I definitely think it is concerning, because we do see greater attempts across the United States right now to limit voter participation," said Coombs. "You've seen that in the roll back of the Voting Rights Act, and some of the other voter identification laws that are trying to be passed around the country that were actually limiting the ability of Americans to participate in our democratic process."
The former history teacher said civic participation is fundamental and she hopes Colorado will continue to be a model for voter inclusion.
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"I'm hoping that common sense will prevail, and Colorado will continue to lead the nation in allowing unaffiliated voters, and in some ways, people who are not tied to either Republican or Democratic Party the opportunity to participate in our elections," Coombs said.
Kent Thiry, founder of the nonpartisan organization Let Colorado Vote, said unaffiliated voters have a fundamental right to vote across party lines.
"You as a voter get to vote for whoever the heck you want. It doesn't matter if you vote for a Republican governor and a Democratic senator, that's your right as a citizen," Thiry said.
He also explained how important unaffiliated voters are to our states identity.
"There are more independents than Republicans and Democrats combined, and more than twice as many as there are Republicans and it's a majority of the voters and to think that you're going to have a small minority block out a majority makes no sense," Thiry said.
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