Colorado Supreme Court Rejects Three Democratic Ballot Measures on Redistricting

The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday rejected three proposed ballot measures that sought to pause the state's independent redistricting commission and enact a new congressional map for the 2028 and 2030 elections. The measures were organized by Coloradans for a Level Playing Field.

One initiative would have suspended the commission approved by voters in 2018 and asked voters to approve new district lines covering only those two cycles. Two additional proposals split the same goal into separate parts.

In three separate opinions, the court ruled that the measures violated the state's single-subject requirement. Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Monica Marquez wrote that altering the frequency of redistricting represents a seismic shift to the process enshrined in the state constitution.

A second unanimous opinion found that dividing the original proposal into two measures did not cure the violation. A spokesperson for Coloradans for a Level Playing Field did not immediately respond to questions about the rulings.

The mid-decade redistricting push began last summer after President Donald Trump urged Republican state lawmakers to draw new maps. It intensified this spring after the U.S. Supreme Court limited a key Voting Rights Act provision, prompting several GOP-led states to redraw majority-Black districts.

Democratic efforts to respond have been constrained in states with independent commissions. If the Colorado measures had passed in November, the new map would have positioned Democrats to win seven of the state's eight congressional seats, up from the current four.