Nonprofit Courageous Colorado examined 26 caucuses and assemblies across both parties during the 2026 election cycle and found systems rife with confusion.
DENVER — A new report from the nonprofit Courageous Colorado found Colorado’s caucus process is outdated and excludes unaffiliated voters.
“We realized that Colorado is a real outlier nationally," Amy Spicer, the author of the report and chief impact officer for Courageous Colorado, said. "There are only three states that have systems that are convention-like systems that place candidates on the primary ballot. The vast majority of states stopped doing this over a century ago.
” ▶️ Watch: Denver7's Jessica Porter talks with Courageous Colorado Chief Impact Officer Amy Spicer about the report's findings Colorado caucus concerns A caucus is the voting process parties use to select candidates for the ballot. Spicer examined 26 caucuses and assemblies across both parties during the 2026 election cycle for the report titled"Colorado's Closed Road to the Ballot: How Caucuses, Assemblies, and Petitions Shape the Colorado Democracy Paradox.
" She found counties that don’t post public notices of their meetings online, parties using dysfunctional voting apps, unreliable paper ballot systems, and burnt-out delegates from party procedures that can take hours over multiple weekends. One Democratic state assembly delegate told Courageous Colorado the process requires showing up four separate times before casting a primary ballot.
“We found that it was incredibly confusing for voters,” Spicer said. “People just don't know when they're happening, why they should go, or the amount of time it's going to take them once they're there. ” Despite 52% of Colorado voters being registered as unaffiliated, they are excluded from participating in both parties’ caucus process, the nonprofit found. Courageous Colorado is calling on both parties to find solutions to reform the current system.
“We can look at reducing the role of the caucus and assembly process, we could get rid of the caucus and assembly process," Spicer said. "We could do something like go to an open primary system, where every voter gets a ballot that has all of the candidates.
” Coloradans making a difference | Denver7 featured videos Kindergartners surprised with free bikes funded by DPS climate grant As pool season begins, Denver officials warn of unlicensed pools Lyons hits housing goal, pushes for hotel and more trails Boulder County considers alternate-use pilot for popular trails, prompting debate BOLDERBoulder 10K: A running coach's tips to train smart and finish strong Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.
Colorado Politics Courageous Colorado Amy Spicer Colorado Primaries Jessica Porter Primary Election
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Nonprofit Rise Up Healing Collective uses yoga to teach younger kids about violence preventionThey offer a wide range of services, including meeting with first and second-graders to teach younger kids how to prevent violence.
Read more »
Hasan Piker names pro-CCP tycoon Singham as financier of 'political movements' despite nonprofit veneerHasan Piker named Neville Roy Singham as a key financier behind pro-communist U.S. nonprofits engaged in political advocacy, a first from the network.
Read more »
Ohio family raises funds for nonprofit honoring Shirilla case victimsAn Ohio family is raising funds for a nonprofit created in honor the victims in the Shirilla case.
Read more »
New report warns climate change could make Colorado's hailstorms more destructiveHail already causes billions of dollars in damage in Colorado every year, and a new report warns it could get worse as the climate changes.
Read more »