by Ben Whedon
The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday blocked three ballot initiatives to redraw the state’s congressional maps, finding that they violated a clause in the state constitution limiting such initiatives to a single issue.
Colorado currently maintains an independent redistricting commission, but proponents of the initiatives have sought to create a temporary slate of maps to balance out redistricting in Republican-leaning states. A similar effort in Virginia did not survive legal scrutiny.
No measure shall be proposed by petition containing more than one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title; but if any subject shall be embraced in any measure which shall not be expressed in the title, such measure shall be void only as to so much thereof as shall not be so expressed. If a measure contains more than one subject, such that a ballot title cannot be fixed that clearly expresses a single subject, no title shall be set and the measure shall not be submitted to the people for adoption or rejection at the polls.
At issue for the initiatives were provisions that made them conditional on the passage of each other, which the court found violated the clause.
The decision is a win for Republicans, though the Colorado redraws would not have impacted the 2026 midterms.
Since the Supreme Court overturned a part of the Voting Rights Act, states across America have attempted to redraw their congressional maps.
In Tennessee, the state’s new congressional maps will be 9-0 in favor of Republicans, rather than 8-1 as before the Court’s ruling.
In addition to the Volunteer State, Florida, Louisiana and Alabama have drawn new congressional maps, all expected to favor Republicans.
South Carolina attempted to redraw its congressional map, but the state Legislature failed to reach an agreement on a new one.
– – –
Ben Whedon is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
Photo “Colorado Supreme Court” by Dtobias. CC BY-SA 3.0.
