Colorado Democrats defend use of secret ballots at the Capitol but say they will release results

KUNC: When Colorado residents go to the state Capitol this month to lobby for the bills they care most about, many will never know their bill might face a hidden obstacle.

The reality many residents may not be aware of is that Democratic lawmakers —who control the fate of all bills at the Capitol — likely already weighed in on their favorites on March 24. That’s the date they cast secret ballots for the bills they cared about the most.

In the secret ballot system, also called “quadratic voting” among lawmakers, Democratic senators and representatives fill out an anonymous survey. Each lawmaker gets 99 digital credits, and they are asked to spend them by clicking on the bills they support. Only bills that would require funding are included in the survey. Bills ranked at the bottom of that secret survey are viewed as a lower priority and have a lower chance of getting passed.

Visit KUNC for more.

Subscribe to Our Blog

Loading