Overview

Read on for some statistics and insights about the level of civic engagement, political engagement and a “state of the state” overview of Colorado.

 

Civic and Political Engagement

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service for 2018:

  • 32.4% of residents volunteer, ranking them 26th among the 50 states and Washington, DC.
  • 1,432,025 volunteers
  • 121.8 million hours of service
  • $2.9 billion worth of service contributed

Looking at political engagement specifically, according to this 2018 Wallethub.com study, Colorado ranks #7 based on a weighted average across the following metrics:

  • Percentage of Registered Voters in the 2016 Presidential Election
  • Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2014 Midterm Elections
  • Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2016 Presidential Election
  • Change in Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2016 Elections Compared with the 2012 Elections
  • Total Political Contributions per Adult Population
  • Civic Education Engagement, CIRCLE
  • Voter Accessibility Policies, Ballotpedia

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Center for Responsive Politics, Ballotpedia and Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, CIRCLE.

 

Women in Colorado Politics:

As of 2018, there are 27 women legislators in the Colorado House of Representatives and 11 in the Colorado State Senate for a total of 38 out of 100 seats in both chambers. This equals 38% of the legislature (Source: NCSL).

See how many women serve in Colorado’s executive offices here.

Colorado ranks 23rd in women’s equality – based on workplace environment (pay, unemployment and entrepreneurship rate disparity), education environment (education levels and math and reading scores), and political empowerment (disparity in elected offices) (Source: Wallethub).

 

What color is Colorado?

Colorado has 9 electoral votes.  According to 270towin, “After voting primarily Republican from 1920-2004, the state has voted with the Democrats in the last three presidential elections, including Hillary Clinton’s five-point margin in 2016.   Surrounded by deeply red states (except for New Mexico to the south), the state is today one of the few battlegrounds in the Western half of the country. Colorado’s population has been growing, and it now has 50% more electoral votes than it did in the 1960s. Based on population trends at the end of 2016, the state may gain a 10th electoral vote after the 2020 presidential election.”

 

 

State of the State

State Government Structure

The Colorado State Legislature, known as the Colorado General Assembly, is bicameral, made up of the Colorado House of Representatives and the Colorado State Senate.

There are 65 seats in the House of Representatives, and 35 in the Senate. Each House member represented an average of 77,372 residents, as of the 2010 Census.  Representatives are elected to two-year terms, with a limit of four consecutive terms.

Senators are elected to four-year terms, with a limit of two consecutive terms.  Each Senator represented an average of 77,372 residents, as of the 2010 Census. After the 2018 election, Colorado became a Democratic state government trifecta, meaning that a single political party (in this case the Democratic party) holds the governorship, a majority in the state senate, and a majority in the state house (Ballotpedia).

 

 

Budget Process

The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:

  1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in April.
  2. Agencies submit their budget requests to the governor in August.
  3. Agency hearings are held in August and September.
  4. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature in November.
  5. The legislature typically adopts a budget in May for the new fiscal year beginning July 1.

Colorado is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.

The governor is legally required to submit a balanced budget to the legislature, which must in turn adopt a balanced budget (Ballotpedia).

 

Business Climate

A 2018 CNBC study ranks Colorado #5 in terms of overall business climate:

 

 

Freedom

Colorado ranks 4th in Cato Institute’s 2018 Freedom in the 50 states. The overall freedom ranking is a combination of personal and economic freedoms.  

 

Additional Resources

  • PEW Fiscal 50: State Trends and Analysis
  • PEW Women in Leadership  – see analysis of women in leadership on a national scale
  • National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) Fiscal Survey of States
  • Compare 50 – pick what stats you want to compare with what states here
  • State Data Lab – compare a variety of factors among states here
  • Freedom in the 50 States – Cato
  • Tax Foundation facts and figures app is available for download

 

What You Can Do

As detailed above, Coloradoans have expansive potential for engaging in civic-minded and fiscally responsible activity.  By forming Policy Circles across the state, women can lead the way in ensuring that policies are working and responding to individual needs at the local level.

 

Here’s what you can do:   

  • Click “It’s easy, start now” at www.thepolicycircle.org  to start a circle in your area.  
  • Read our “Year of Conversation” for an overview of policy briefs on key issues affecting the country and your state.
  • Connect with Steamboat Institute or the Independence Institute, your state think tanks and best resources for state level information on key policy issues.  
  • Tell a friend or family member about The Policy Circle by sending them to www.thepolicycircle.org.  Any woman who believes in the power of free markets to unleash human creativity can start a Policy Circle in her area.