Colorado Supreme Court Strikes Down Both Parties’ Redistricting Ballot Initiatives

The Colorado Supreme Court on June 29 struck down proposed ballot initiatives that would have authorized new U.S. House districts for the 2028 and 2030 elections. The court ruled that the measures violated the state constitution's single-subject requirement.

The initiatives appeared in two forms. One combined authorization for mid-decade redistricting with a proposed new map. The other separated those elements into distinct measures. The court determined that both versions addressed more than one subject and applied the same analysis to Republican-backed counter-initiatives.

The measures would have bypassed the independent redistricting commission created by a 2018 constitutional amendment. That commission drew the current map after the 2020 census, producing an even 4-4 partisan split in Colorado's eight-member U.S. House delegation.

A constitutional amendment would be required to change congressional districts before the next census. Curtis Hubbard, spokesperson for Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, which supported the Democratic-backed initiatives, said the decision represented a legal setback over a technicality. A group that backed the 2018 amendment praised the court for preserving the commission structure.

The rulings follow earlier court decisions this year that invalidated Democratic redistricting efforts in Virginia and New York for the 2026 midterms.