Dear Editor,

A “Yes” vote on Colorado Proposition 113 ratifies National Popular Vote for Colorado. What National Popular Vote does is count all votes before awarding electors, replacing the winner-take-all rule. 

National Popular Vote does not change the Electoral College in any way. It changes Colorado’s rule over electors, which is granted by the Constitution. States have changed how electors are appointed over time, and as the nation evolves the state legislature may change again to even better methods.

  Voting trivia: The Constitution does not guarantee citizen’s vote for President. Guess what year the Colorado citizens didn’t get to vote! 

  Replacing the current winner-take-all rule with National Popular Vote is in every Colorado voter’s interest, because Colorado isn’t a swing state this year or many years:

- National Popular Vote will drive successful parties to campaign in all states, not just a few swing states.

- It will give red votes a voice in this now blue-trending state.  With current winner-take-all, those Colorado voters don’t count beyond state lines.

- Colorado voters won’t be paying for election year pork to the handful of swing states.  This year it’s roads for Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, diary for Wisconsin, cruise ships and Puerto Rican aid for Florida, and airport money for Pennsylvania and Ohio.

- It will boost Colorado’s influence!  It will reduce California’s outsized influence by about 40%, by counting its split between the Red and Blue before awarding Electors. 

- National Popular Vote has been a non-partisan effort. In 2016 there were 153 Republican and 162 Democrat sponsoring legislators.  

- It is not a referendum between past election winners and losers.  The real winner is better representation because every voter will matter.

Ralph Burns
Unaffiliated voting geek
Peak to Peak