The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday rejected three proposed ballot measures that sought to change the state’s congressional redistricting process ahead of the 2028 elections.
The proposals, backed by a group called Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, were aimed at temporarily suspending Colorado’s independent redistricting commission—created by voters in 2018—and allowing voters to approve a new congressional map for the 2028 and 2030 election cycles.
The Court’s Constitutional Ruling
Two companion measures would have separately paused the commission and implemented new district boundaries. Had the initiatives qualified for the November ballot and been approved by voters, the revised congressional map would have taken effect for the 2028 elections.
In three separate opinions, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that each proposed measure violated the state’s constitutional “single subject” requirement, preventing them from moving forward, according to NBC News.
“Changing the constitutionally mandated frequency of redistricting — however temporary the change — is not merely a mechanism to administer the new congressional district map,” Chief Justice Monica Marquez wrote in one unanimous decision. “Instead, it represents a seismic shift to Colorado’s longstanding redistricting process enshrined in the state constitution,” her opinion noted further.
In a second unanimous opinion, the Colorado Supreme Court concluded that dividing the original proposal into two separate ballot measures still failed to satisfy the state’s single-subject requirement.
A spokesperson for Coloradans for a Level Playing Field did not immediately comment on the rulings.
National Redistricting Battle Intensifies
The legal challenge comes amid a broader national debate over mid-decade congressional redistricting. The issue gained momentum last year after President Donald Trump encouraged Republican-led states to consider redrawing congressional maps in an effort to strengthen the GOP’s narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Democrats have faced additional hurdles in pursuing similar efforts in states where independent redistricting commissions control the map-drawing process, including Colorado.
Virginia Democrats advanced a comparable ballot measure this year that sought to bypass the state’s independent redistricting commission and adopt a new congressional map. Although voters narrowly approved the proposal, the Virginia Supreme Court later blocked it from taking effect, according to NBC News.
The Virginia Precedent and Democratic Setbacks
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries faced mounting criticism following the Virginia high court’s decision, as Republicans accused Democrats of overreaching in a high-stakes redistricting battle that ultimately collapsed in court.
In its May 4-3 ruling, the Virginia Supreme Court invalidated the voter-approved congressional map, finding that Democratic lawmakers violated procedural requirements under the state constitution when placing the referendum on the ballot. The ruling forced Virginia to redraw its congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and erased what Democrats hoped would become a 10-1 advantage in the state’s congressional delegation.
The decision marked a major setback in the broader national redistricting war unfolding between Republican- and Democratic-controlled states ahead of the midterms.
Before the ruling, Jeffries had strongly defended the effort and argued that Democrats had a strong legal basis. “The law is with us in Virginia,” Jeffries previously said while promoting the redistricting plan. That statement quickly came back to haunt Democrats after the state’s highest court sided with Republican challengers and blocked the maps from taking effect.
Republicans Gain Upper Hand in Nationwide Redistricting
The Virginia case comes amid a broader nationwide redistricting battle that has accelerated dramatically ahead of the 2026 elections. Republicans appear poised to enter November’s midterm elections with a significant advantage created by redistricting efforts across the country, as a coast-to-coast battle over congressional maps nears its conclusion.
The fight began last year when Texas Republicans, encouraged by President Trump, moved to redraw congressional districts in an effort to strengthen the GOP’s position in the U.S. House of Representatives. Since then, both parties have engaged in an increasingly aggressive struggle over congressional boundaries, but Republicans currently hold the upper hand.
