What ranked choice voting is actually like

Morning, Colorado!

Each fall, I try to steer clear of the most popular leaf-peeping destinations (for my sanity), but Pancake Rocks near Cripple Creek, only an hour drive from Colorado Springs, is one of my favorite trails that I’ve made a fall tradition. While the shimmering patches of gold are a treat for the eyes, the best reward is the homemade pancakes at the top. Just don’t forget your lightweight frying pan, cooking spray and spatula.

Leaves are quickly falling along this trail, so if you’re looking to catch the colors, I recommend adding this one to next year’s to-do list. (Though pancakes can be enjoyed any time of the year.)

And now, the news.

Olivia Prentzel

Reporter

THE NEWS

ELECTION 2024

Colorado could vote to upend its election system. Here is one lawmaker’s take on how it went in Alaska.

As Colorado voters consider Proposition 131, which would move the state to an all-candidate primary system followed by ranked choice general elections, why not look to a state that has already done it? Politics reporter Jesse Paul interviewed Alaska Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, an Anchorage Republican, on the change that she initially wasn’t so sure about, but now supports, saying it puts “the voter in the forefront.”

READ MORE

• Proposition 130: Colorado voters to decide on $350 million in state funding for law enforcement. 
• Proposition 128: People convicted of some violent felonies in Colorado would be imprisoned longer. 
• Click here to see all of The Sun’s ballot measure explainers

POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

Donald Trump will hold rally in Aurora on Friday

Former President Donald Trump said he will make a campaign stop Friday in Aurora, which he has falsely claimed has been taken over by a Venezuelan gang. The rally is more geared toward the national conversation on immigration than an electoral boost in Colorado, where polls show Trump is deeply unpopular, Jesse Paul reports.

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WATER

Colorado congressional delegates urge feds to support historic Colorado River water deal

Six members of Colorado’s congressional delegation -— including Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet — have come out in support of a $99 million effort to secure historic Colorado River water rights that would protect Western Slope water users from a future sale. Despite the political shout-out, people along the Front Range still have concerns over the deal. Jerd Smith has more.

READ MORE

Section by Olivia Prentzel | Reporter

THE COLORADO REPORT

• Colorado lawmakers advance three bills seeking to improve cell service. “Colorado is beautiful because of its mountains, but it’s challenging because of our mountains. The cellphone is the new landline. We’re not going to probably go back to landlines,” said Rep. Matt Soper, R-Delta, a member of the committee that will recommend bills to build cellphone infrastructure, streamline permitting for new cell sites and prioritize wireless communication repairs during emergencies.
  — The Aspen Times
• Ink Coffee, bankrupt and down to four stores, may be sold to grocer. The Colorado chain, which back in 2017 notoriously advertised itself as “happily gentrifying the neighborhood since 2014,” shrunk from 16 locations to four before declaring bankruptcy and will likely sell to the Leevers Supermarkets brand for $300,000.
  — BusinessDen 🔑
• Estes Park Housing Authority buys Fall River Village for workforce housing. For $35 million — a 25% discount on the estimated replacement cost of the complex — the housing authority acquired the vacation lodging complex with plans to convert it into much-needed housing for workers in town.
  — Estes Park Trail Gazette 🔑
• Kaiser Permanente Colorado adds Rose, Presbyterian St. Luke’s hospitals to network. Patients can start using the two hospitals at in-network rates immediately as Kaiser shifts away from Intermountain Health facilities.
  — The Denver Post

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

THE OPINION PAGE

COLUMNS

• Israelis have hard decisions to make. So do Americans.  The October 7 anniversary is a time of reflection. We must maintain democracy in America.
  — Craig Silverman 

COMMUNITY

• With Proposition 131, open primaries can make Colorado’s gold-standard election system platinum.  Ranked choice voting will bring more Colorado voters out to to the primaries and give greater representation at the ballot box
  — Amber McReynolds (former director of elections for the City and County of Denver), and Toni Larson (two-time president of the League of Women Voters of Colorado)
• Proposition 131 is not worth the confusion and delays it would add to Colorado’s voting system.  Ranked choice voting is on the Colorado ballot, but it’s hard to think the promises would actually come to fruition
  — Joan Fitz-Gerald (former Colorado Senate President)

The Colorado Sun is a nonpartisan news organization, and the opinions of columnists and editorial writers do not reflect the opinions of the newsroom. Read our ethics policy for more on The Sun’s opinion policy and submit columns, suggest writers or provide feedback at opinion@coloradosun.com.

SunLit

REVIEW

In “Silenced,” a woman follows a delicious lead in hope of breaking a curse

In a new take on age-old fairy tales, “Silenced” focuses on traditionally diminished female characters seeking justice for preyed-upon women by undoing the curses that have been placed upon them to keep them silent. Author Ann Claycomb, whose book was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award in Science Fiction/Fantasy, introduces us to one key character searching for help breaking the curse.

READ AN EXCERPT

• Interview with the author. Claycomb, who did her master’s thesis on “Beauty and the Beast,” pushes back on fairy tales’ outdated gender norms, but she aims to do so with an approach that can also be instructive for readers.  

Section by Kevin Simpson | Writer

Thanks for joining us this morning! Catch you here tomorrow.

— Olivia & the whole staff of The Sun

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Corrections & Clarifications

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