There is a huge gap in Colorado between campaign rhetoric on political issues and what voters in the state say they want candidates to talk about: democracy and good government. 

Many voters worry that democracy is vanishing and public institutions are threatened. Candidates rarely touch on this topic in their pitch to voters. But they should.

Colorado’s primary elections are Tuesday, when voters will determine which candidates go on to represent their party on the ballot in the November general election. If the victors next week want to address a top concern of constituents throughout the state, they will add to their stump speech an explanation of how they would reinforce democracy and improve the health of government functions.

Colorado Newsline and more than 30 other news organizations in the state have undertaken an unprecedented effort this year to gauge what’s most important to voters. The project, called Voter Voices 2024, centers on a survey we distributed across the state, and respondents told us what candidates should focus on as they compete for votes. Voters had the opportunity to respond in their own words, and they also selected from a list the three issues that are most important to them. (The survey will be open throughout the 2024 election season. Click here to fill it out.)

The results were striking. Among those who identified themselves as liberal or moderate, most, by far, said democracy and good government were their top issues. Other major concerns included the economy/cost of living, immigration, the environment, abortion and health care. 

Conservatives generally put democracy and good government in third place —  ahead of 10 other issues on the list.