{"id":736,"date":"2026-05-12T21:33:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T21:33:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=736"},"modified":"2026-05-12T21:33:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T21:33:42","slug":"gop-candidates-challenge-semi-open-primaries-in-last-minute-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=736","title":{"rendered":"GOP candidates challenge semi-open primaries in last-minute lawsuit"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

DENVER<\/strong> | A last-minute lawsuit filed by three Republican candidates for office in Colorado claims allowing unaffiliated voters to participate in the GOP\u2019s upcoming primary election violates their constitutional rights.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit seeks a ruling that the state\u2019s semi-open primaries violate the 1st and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and the Colorado Constitution. The plaintiffs want the court to issue an order prohibiting unaffiliated voters from participating in the June 2026 primary election.<\/p>\n

The suit was filed by Ron Hanks, a former state representative and candidate in Colorado\u2019s 3rd Congressional District; Scott Bottoms, a current state representative and candidate for governor; and David Wilson, a candidate for attorney general.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnaffiliated voters are not members of the Republican Party, and we respect their choice to remain outside either major party,\u201d Hanks said in a statement. \u201cBut unaffiliated voters should not then be forcibly allowed inside our party primary, where their ballots dilute the votes of dedicated Republican members who maintain the party and uphold our principles.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The new lawsuit comes shortly after a federal judge shot down a similar request from the Colorado Republican Party to block unaffiliated voters from participating in its primary. Plaintiffs in the Denver lawsuit say the federal court did not issue a ruling related to candidate-specific injury.<\/p>\n

Both lawsuits challenge state statute implemented after voters approved Proposition 108, a 2016 ballot measure that allows voters not registered with a political party to choose to vote in either major party\u2019s partisan primary elections. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Secretary of State Jena Griswold, both Democrats, are named as defendants.<\/p>\n

Judge says unaffiliated Colorado voters can participate in Republican primary election<\/p>\n

The lawsuit argues the state law burdens the \u201cthe associational rights\u201d of political parties, affiliated members and candidates within the parties, and dilutes the voting strength of affiliated voters.<\/p>\n

The suit claims Hanks himself has suffered because of unaffiliated voter participation in Republican primaries, arguing that he would have won a June 2022 U.S. Senate primary against candidate Joe O\u2019Dea if only Republican voters had participated.<\/p>\n

Polis spokesperson Eric Maruyama said in a statement that it\u2019s concerning candidates are trying to exclude voters from participating in elections. Griswold said the Republican Party\u2019s similar effort failed in federal court, so she expects this lawsuit will fail, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe content of the June Primary Ballot is certified, and Unaffiliated voters should be able to make their voices heard in accordance with Colorado law,\u201d Griswold said in a statement.<\/p>\n

A hearing in the case is scheduled for May 14. County clerks are able to begin giving mail ballots to eligible voters who request one from their office starting on May 16.<\/p>\n

This story was made available via the Colorado News Collaborative. Learn more at https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/colabnews.co&source=gmail-imap&ust=1779221350000000&usg=AOvVaw2324jIROBvG1lMAqCbAXWd<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

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DENVER | A last-minute lawsuit filed by three Republican candidates for office in Colorado claims allowing unaffiliated voters to participate in the GOP\u2019s upcoming primary election violates their constitutional rights. The lawsuit seeks a ruling that the state\u2019s semi-open primaries violate the 1st and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and the Colorado Constitution. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[262],"tags":[849,850,851,852,853],"class_list":["post-736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-state-and-region","tag-colorado-constitution","tag-david-wilson","tag-proposition-108","tag-ron-hanks","tag-scott-bottoms"],"yoast_head":"\nGOP candidates challenge semi-open primaries in last-minute lawsuit - Denver Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=736\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"GOP candidates challenge semi-open primaries in last-minute lawsuit - Denver Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"DENVER | A last-minute lawsuit filed by three Republican candidates for office in Colorado claims allowing unaffiliated voters to participate in the GOP\u2019s upcoming primary election violates their constitutional rights. 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