Independent Voters In Colorado

Dec 11, 2025

DENVER — Independent voters in Colorado are not apathetic about politics. Instead, more than 8-in-10 say they intentionally chose that status because they reject each of the two major parties, according to results from a Let Colorado Vote poll released this week that explores the political views of the state’s largest segment of voters.

A majority of unaffiliated voters — as they’re called by elections officials — prefer to use the term “Independent” to describe their status (54% “Independent,” 40% “unaffiliated”).

As of Dec. 1, Independents account for 49.7% of active voters in Colorado. Let Colorado Vote commissioned the poll in anticipation of Independents making up a majority (50% +1) of active voters, which is the most accurate reflection of the state’s electorate (Independents first comprised a majority [51%] of all voters in Colorado — active, inactive, and pre-registered — in September of this year).

The most important issues facing Colorado for Independent voters:

• Housing affordability/cost of living (35%);
• Taxes/Spending/Budget (20%); and
• Political leadership and polarization (16%).

“Independents aren’t undecided or disengaged — we’re paying attention. It’s the parties that aren’t paying attention to us,” said Let Colorado Vote Founder Kent Thiry. “The candidates who choose to listen to us are the ones who will lead Colorado’s future.”

Thiry was campaign co-chairman of the 2016 ballot initiatives (Props 107 and 108) that opened primary elections in Colorado to Independent voters and replaced caucuses with a presidential primary.

The statewide poll of 1,210 active voters — including 600 Independents, 300 Democrats, 300 Republicans, and 10 others — was conducted Nov. 9-17, 2025, by Keating Research.

“Independent voters are politically motivated but they don’t want to be aligned specifically with a single party or candidate,” said pollster Chris Keating. “Independents aren’t a monolith, but they are remarkably consistent in signaling that they are tired of the extreme politics and want candidates who understand their struggles. Candidates that fail to engage them meaningfully do so at their own electoral risk.”

Independents overwhelmingly would like to see more moderate Democrat and Republican parties. Sixty-four percent say they would like the Democratic Party to become more moderate, 19% say more liberal, and 8% say stay the same. For the Republican Party, 65% say they would like to see it become more moderate, 16% say more conservative, and 13% say stay the same.

Asked which party has become the most extreme, a plurality of Independents (45%) say Republicans, 36% say Democrats, and 14% say both.

They are not bullish on the direction of the state, as 41% say Colorado is headed in the right direction, compared to 52% who say it is on the wrong track.

On some of the big issues of the day, Independents say they trust Republicans (41%) only slightly more than Democrats (39%) on immigration and significantly more on crime (42% Republicans, 25% Democrats). They trust Democrats slightly more on the issues of inflation/cost of living (Democrats 33%, Republicans 31%) and significantly more on education (Democrats 42%, Republicans 32%), democracy and voting (Democrats 44%, Republicans 30%), healthcare (Democrats 44%, Republicans 21%) and environment and conservation (Democrats 49%, Republicans 24%).

Notably, 60% of Independents favor keeping Colorado’s TABOR law because it keeps government spending in check and gives voters the final say on any tax increases. That compares to one-quarter (26%) who say TABOR should be repealed because it prevents the state from adequately funding schools, roads, and healthcare.

Colorado Independents also hold the political establishment in low regard, including -25 favorability for President Donald Trump (37% favorable, 62% unfavorable), -20 for the Colorado Republican Party (37% favorable and 57% unfavorable), -17 for the Colorado Democratic Party (39% favorable and 56% unfavorable), and -12 for the Colorado State Legislature (36% favorable, 48% unfavorable).

And more than 7-in-10 (74%) say Congress is dysfunctional, not representative, and their vote doesn’t really matter.

They are also dismayed with their lack of choice at the ballot box, as 71% of Independents say they are frustrated with how often only a single candidate runs in primary elections.

Asked how they typically vote in elections in Colorado, 35% of Independents say they usually or always vote for the Democratic candidate, 35% say they sometimes vote for a Democrat and sometimes a Republican, and 26% say they always or usually vote for the Republican.

“Colorado no longer falls into the one-third, one-third, one-third paradigm. Fifty percent of us are Independents, and we outnumber registered Democrats and Republicans combined. The growth of Independents is the most important political trend in the state, and the parties need to recalibrate,” Thiry added. “The parties together are destroying our democracy. Independents know that this is our country and we are going to take it back.”

Independents make up the largest share of voters in 73% of Colorado counties. (47 of 64)

They are the majority of active voters in 21 counties, including 8 of the state’s 15 most populous counties (population rank): Adams (5); Broomfield (12); Chaffee; Clear Creek; Eagle (15); El Paso (1); Garfield (13); Gilpin; Grand; Gunnison; Jefferson (4); La Plata (14); Lake; Larimer (7); Ouray; Park; Pitkin; Routt; San Juan; San Miguel; and Summit.

And they make up a plurality — meaning the largest single group of active voters — in 26 counties, including the remaining 7 of the 15 most populous counties (population rank): Almosa; Arapahoe (3); Archuleta; Bent; Boulder (9); Custer; Delta; Denver (2); Douglas (6); Fremont; Hinsdale; Huerfano; Las Animas; Mesa (11); Mineral; Moffat; Montezuma; Montrose; Morgan; Otero; Prowers; Pueblo (10); Rio Grande; Saguache; Teller; and Weld (8).

More than 8-in-10 (86%) say they intentionally registered as Independents, which contradicts a view held by some in Colorado politics that the ranks of Independents are propped up by situations where voters are automatically registered as “unaffiliated” if they do not declare a party affiliation.

Top issues for registering as Independents included:

• Dislike or distrust of both major parties (38%);
• Desire for flexibility and independence (32%);
• Dislike of the two-party system (30%);
• Desire to vote for individuals/issues, not parties (27%); and
• Disgust with political corruption and polarization (21%).

In a generic matchup of Congressional candidates, 44% of Independents say they would vote for the Democratic candidate and 38% said they would vote for the Republican candidate if the election were held today. That +6 margin mirrors results (47% Democrat, 41% Republican) for the larger sample in the poll that includes voters registered with the major parties.

This poll included 916 likely 2026 voters. A few notable findings when looking at that universe: Democrats have a 14-point lead among likely 2026 voters in the generic Congressional matchup, and Trump’s favorability falls to -27.