Throughout the high-stakes, high-anxiety 2024 election, Coloradans who’ve taken our Voter Voices survey have been consistent about their top concern: Democracy and good government.
That’s the chief takeaway from the more than 7,200 people who weighed in any time from early this spring through this week.
Their other top issues? The economy, climate and the environment, immigration and abortion.
But dig into the details of who took the survey and the top issues and their rankings shift, rising and falling with age, gender and politics. The younger the voter, the higher “social justice and equity” ranks as a priority. Women ranked abortion much higher than men. Conservatives ranked immigration and personal liberty higher than liberals and moderates.
Still, “democracy and good government” — including preserving and protecting the rule of law and access to the ballot, finding the balance of national security and individual liberty, stopping the erosion of civility and compromise — dominated Voter Voices responses.
“Without Democracy, we have no say, no civil rights, no human rights. Everything depends on Democracy or nothing else will work,” wrote Grand Junction resident Maria Cuthbert, a Latina who identifies herself as politically liberal.
Sean Pond, a registered Republican from Nucla, said that democracy has moved away from the power of the people and toward government dictates.
“I believe in all American’s right of choice,” Pond said in an interview. “I don’t think the federal government, the state government, should be telling people, whether they are a man or woman, what to do in any of their personal choices.”
Conservatives who filled out the Voter Voices survey were far more likely than liberals to say they have no confidence that the national election will be conducted fairly. However, people across the political spectrum showed much more faith in the reliability and security of Colorado’s election system.
The anxiety, frustration and uncertainty reflected in the answers mirror the findings of a recent New York Times/Siena College poll in which three-quarters of respondents said democracy is under threat. And, like that poll, the how and why of that threat is colored by political affiliation.
Voter Voices was an effort led by the Colorado News Collaborative and Colorado Public Radio. More than 60 Colorado newsrooms took part, asking voters in their communities what they wanted candidates to talk about as they competed for their votes. The thousands of community responses have been used by local newsrooms to inform election stories, voter guides, candidate forums and questionnaires throughout Colorado.
The survey was not a scientific poll and the overall rankings of top voter issues reflect the tilt among respondents toward older, white women — the same demographic that is generally more likely to vote. The responses also lean to the left, a reflection in part of where most Coloradans live — the blue Front Range.
But the survey also drew many hundreds of responses from rural voters, conservative voters, young voters and those who identified as Latino, Black, Asian, Indigenous or members of another community of color — groups that together made up more than a quarter of all responses and whose experiences with key issues such as the cost of living, immigration or the environment influence their priorities in ways that may differ from the greater pool of responses.
Sift through the written answers to the question “What do you want candidates to focus on as they compete for your vote?” and a more detailed picture emerges of how Coloradans view the stakes of this election. So, too, does the place where conservatives, liberals and moderates find a sliver of agreement: a desire — or an outright demand — that elected officials break free of the hold of hyperpartisanship and work together with civility and common sense.
As a Rio Grande County woman put it: “Republicans aren’t always right and all the Democrats aren’t always right. It takes a balance of somewhere in the middle.”
Here’s more of what Voter Voices respondents said they wanted candidates to focus on.
“The truth about the economy is important and how it is impacting regular people everyday,” a moderate woman from Arapahoe County said. “As a person who once thought I would be middle class and it would be easy, I no longer believe this is possible.”
“To address how they see the Constitution guiding their role in governance,” a conservative from Wiggins wrote. “I would also like them to state their plans on getting control over the bureaucracy and returning the making of laws to the legislature instead of unelected bureaucrats.”
A man who identified himself as a liberal from Brighton said he wanted to hear “discussions of [candidate] policies on economy, immigration, and the Israel conflict. Not just vague beating around the bush, as politicians are inclined to do much of the time, but give The People an idea of what their plans look like in development.”
“None of the issues will matter if we don’t have a democracy,” a Longmont moderate said. “I worry as a black man with a biracial son and daughter if their rights will be violated, not to mention my own.”
“Tax reform!” a Craig man who identified as a liberal wrote. “I’m a low-income earner and live in a camping trailer as I can’t afford the rent prices or the cost of buying a place. Would like to see the rich pay their fair share instead of getting all these tax benefits/deductions.”
“How they are going to work WITH Congress to lower costs for Americans while also strengthening our border and helping our allies in ways that are productive for all involved,” a conservative younger voter from Jefferson County said.
“For me, a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions is the most important right to protect,” wrote a liberal woman in Denver. “I feel lucky to live in a state that recognizes that, however I feel that the Dobbs decision made me less than a full citizen of our country. As long as any women in the country cannot obtain vital health care, this will be the most important issue.”
A woman in Silverthorne wrote, “Although people won’t see it this way, the health of the planet Earth is the most important issue today. If we don’t have a planet capable of supporting 9 billion people, all the other issues, social, economic, political, become moot.”
“I think water is the biggest issue impacting Colorado,” a liberal woman in Aurora said. “I also think that we have created our own housing problems by allowing developers to build units at the top tier and not ensuring that housing development matches the income levels of those who live in the community.”
Water was also top priority of a Sterling conservative, who singled out its role in the “protection of our agriculture that is so vital to the Eastern Plains and Western Slope.”
“I believe that America’s role in the world is a critical issue that the government must address in the years to come,” a Littleton moderate said. “Global poverty has been swept under the rug for far too long and it will take mass awareness and mobilization movements to truly make an impact.”
“I’d like to know how they intend to stop the massive migration at both the southern and northern borders,” wrote a conservative man in Grand Junction. “I’d also like to know how they intend to reduce the deficit spending and work toward balancing the budget.”
Immigration is a concern, an older woman from Lafayette wrote, but for her the solution lies in fixing the legal immigration system. “Our family went to that process in California in the ‘50s. We were Canadians and I feel the system is so broken now and not fair to those who wish to become legal.”
“Given the two assassination attempts on the GOP candidate and 394 mass shootings in 2024, why are the candidates opposed to modernizing gun background checks by upgrading to a computer system, license and required training, and red flag enforcement?” asked a woman in Denver.
“Respect for an individual’s right to decide what is best for them. Our nation is polarized because we judge others’ choices (abortion, gun ownership, religious beliefs, etc…).,” a Lone Tree moderate said.
And speaking for many respondents, she added: “Common sense is lacking to the detriment of our future.”
You can learn where your vote has the most impact on democracy and good government, the economy and cost of living, housing, the environment and climate, immigration and abortion by following the links. Here is a sampling of voter guides to help: Colorado Public Radio’s guide, Colorado Newsline’s guide and candidate Q&As, The Colorado Sun’s guide, The Denver Post’s guide for Post subscribers, Colorado Community Media’s guide, KUNC’s guide and election resource page.
Tina Griego is the managing editor of the Colorado News Collaborative. Megan Verlee, public affairs editor at Colorado Public Radio, contributed to this story. You can learn more about the Voter Voices project here.