Colorado Together

Every Voice Counts • Every Vote Matters

A Movement for Fair Representation

Colorado's democracy can be stronger. We're building a grassroots movement to amend our state constitution and transition from single-member districts to Proportional Representation.

This isn't about politics as usual. It's about ensuring that every Colorado voter has a meaningful voice in our government, regardless of where they live or which party they support.

7-14%
Higher voter turnout1,2
130+
Countries use PR3
86-92%
Feel represented in PR systems4

All statistics are from peer-reviewed research. See Research & Sources section below.

Understanding Proportional Representation

Video Coming Soon
Replace this section with your YouTube or Vimeo embed code

Learn how proportional representation works, why it matters for Colorado, and what it means for your community.

Why Proportional Representation?

The Current System: Under our winner-take-all district system, voters who support losing candidates have zero representation.5 If your candidate gets 49% of the vote, you get 0% of the representation. Currently, only 55% of voters in winner-take-all systems feel represented by their elected officials, compared to 86-92% in proportional systems.4

The PR Solution: Proportional Representation ensures that seats in the legislature match the votes cast by the people. If a party or group gets 30% of the votes, they get roughly 30% of the seats. Every vote contributes to electing representatives.

Real Democracy: PR systems are used successfully in over 130 countries worldwide,3 including Germany, New Zealand, Ireland, and most of Western Europe.6 They consistently lead to higher voter turnout (7-14% higher),1,2 more diverse representation, and better policy outcomes that reflect the actual will of the people.

Benefits for Colorado

🗳️ Every Vote Counts

No more wasted votes or safe seats. Your vote helps elect representatives regardless of where you live. Research shows 86-92% of voters in PR systems feel represented, compared to only 55% in winner-take-all systems.4

🤝 Better Cooperation

PR encourages coalition-building and compromise, reducing partisan gridlock and extreme polarization. Multiple studies show PR systems produce more stable, collaborative governance.7

🌈 Diverse Voices

On average, 8% more women are elected in PR systems.8 PR also increases minority voter turnout and representation by incentivizing parties to engage all communities.9

📊 Fair Outcomes

Legislature composition matches actual voter preferences, not gerrymandered boundaries. Nine of the top ten democracies in the world use proportional representation.10

⬆️ Higher Turnout

When people know their vote counts, they show up. Multiple peer-reviewed studies show PR countries average 7-14% higher voter turnout.1,2

🎯 Issue-Focused Politics

Representatives focus on serving constituents and solving problems. PR creates more competitive elections in all districts, not just swing districts.11

Research & Sources

Our campaign is grounded in peer-reviewed research and evidence-based policy. All claims on this website are supported by academic studies and verified data sources.

Key Findings

[1] Lijphart, Arend. (2012). Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries. 2nd ed. New Haven: Yale University Press. Finding: 7% higher voter turnout in PR systems.
[2] Blais, André, and R.K. Carty. (1990). "Does Proportional Representation Foster Voter Turnout?" European Journal of Political Research, 18(2): 167-181. Finding: 8% higher turnout; Swiss canton study found PR adoption raised turnout by 14%.
[3] Electoral Reform Society. (2025). "How Many Countries Around the World Use Proportional Representation?" Available at: https://electoral-reform.org.uk. Finding: Over 130 countries use PR or mixed systems; fewer than 55 use first-past-the-post.
[4] Electoral Reform Society. (2023). "Does Proportional Representation Lead to Higher Turnout?" Available at: https://electoral-reform.org.uk. Finding: Only 55% of voters in first-past-the-post systems are represented by their choice, compared to 86% (Norway), 90% (Germany), and 92% (Denmark) in PR systems.
[5] Protect Democracy. (2023). "Proportional Representation Explained." Available at: https://protectdemocracy.org. Analysis of winner-take-all versus proportional systems.
[6] Inter-Parliamentary Union. (2023). Parline Database on Electoral Systems. Available at: https://data.ipu.org. Finding: PR is used by majority of the world's 33 most robust democracies with populations over 2 million.
[7] Kreiss-Tomkins, Jonathan. (2025). "Proportional Representation: An Intervention for More Electoral Competition and Better Governance." Institute for Responsive Government. Available at: https://responsivegov.org
[8] Multiple studies compiled in: Wikipedia contributors. (2025). "Proportional Representation." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Finding: On average, 8% more women are elected in PR systems than non-PR systems.
[9] Apau, Deborah. (2024). "Proportional Representation: Boosting Voter Turnout and Strengthening Democracy." Protect Democracy. Available at: https://protectdemocracy.org. Finding: PR systems incentivize parties to engage minority communities, increasing their voter turnout.
[10] Democracy Index 2023. The Economist Intelligence Unit. Finding: 9 of the top 10 countries ranked as "full democracies" use proportional representation (Norway, New Zealand, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Switzerland, Netherlands).
[11] Institute for Responsive Government. (2024). "What Other Countries Can Teach Us About Turnout." Available at: https://responsivegov.org. Analysis of how PR creates more competitive elections in all districts.

Additional Academic Sources

[12] Frank, Richard W., and Ferran Martínez i Coma. (2021). "The Effects of Electoral Systems on Voter Turnout: A Meta-Analysis." Representation, 57(1): 1-21. Comprehensive analysis finding 10 of 19 studies showed statistically significant positive relationship between PR and turnout.
[13] Karp, Jeffrey A., and Susan A. Banducci. (1999). "The Impact of Proportional Representation on Turnout: Evidence from New Zealand." Australian Journal of Political Science, 34(3): 363-377. Finding: New Zealand voter participation rose from 78% to 81% after PR adoption.
[14] Norris, Pippa. (1997). "Choosing Electoral Systems: Proportional, Majoritarian and Mixed Systems." International Political Science Review, 18(3): 297-312. Finding: 6-10% higher turnout in PR systems.
[15] European Parliament Working Papers. (1996). "Impact of Electoral Systems on Female Political Representation." FEMM 104 EN. Finding: All countries in Western Europe where women's representation exceeds 20% have adopted PR systems.
[16] Fair Vote Canada. (2024). "Voter Turnout in Canada and Around the World." Available at: https://www.fairvote.ca. Comprehensive review of international turnout research.

For Further Reading

We encourage Coloradans to review the research independently. Key academic works include:

Mill, John Stuart. (1861). Considerations on Representative Government. Early philosophical case for proportional representation.
Blais, André. (2006). "What Affects Voter Turnout?" Annual Review of Political Science, 9: 111-125. Comprehensive survey of voter turnout research.
Reynolds, Andrew, and Ben Reilly. (1997). The International IDEA Handbook of Electoral System Design. Stockholm: International IDEA. Comprehensive guide to electoral systems worldwide.

Note: This campaign is committed to evidence-based advocacy. If you have questions about our sources or would like to suggest additional research, please contact us.

Join the Movement

Colorado's future depends on fair representation. Add your voice to this growing movement.

Sign the Petition Volunteer Donate

Together, we can build a democracy that works for every Coloradan.