Coloradans could be asked this November to approve a temporary congressional map giving a big advantage to Democrats, joining other Democratic-led states that have pursued similar efforts in response to an unprecedented wave of mid-decade redistricting kicked off by Republicans at President Donald Trump’s urging.

The group Coloradans for a Level Playing Field said Wednesday that it plans to place a measure on the November ballot to draw a new congressional map for 2028 and 2030, reverting to maps drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission after the 2030 census. The group says its proposed map would “give Democrats a chance” to gain three House seats in Colorado.

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“No one wanted to have to take this action — independent redistricting is the ideal,” Curtis Hubbard, a veteran Colorado Democratic operative and the group’s spokesperson, said in a press release. “But with Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans actively working to rig congressional elections, resulting in the potential gain of up to 27 seats in Congress, Colorado must join other states in countering this unprecedented power grab.”

Congressional maps are typically drawn once a decade after the decennial census. But a dozen or more states could now join the mid-decade gerrymandering spree that began in July with Republicans in Texas, whom Trump had pressured into redistricting to give the GOP an advantage in the 2026 midterm elections. A month later, California Democrats moved forward with their own redistricting effort in response. Republicans have also completed redistricting in North Carolina and Missouri, while Democrats are considering redrawn maps in Virginia and Maryland.

Colorado’s current eight-seat congressional map was drawn by its inaugural independent redistricting commission, established by a pair of anti-gerrymandering constitutional amendments passed by voters in 2018. The current congressional delegation is split 4-4 between Democrats and Republicans, with four seats rated as solidly Democratic, three leaning towards Republicans and one toss-up.

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A new Colorado congressional map proposed by Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, a Democratic-aligned group pushing mid-decade redistricting to counter Republican efforts in other states. (Courtesy of Coloradans for a Level Playing Field)

Coloradans for a Level Playing Field said its ballot campaign could take one of several forms — a statutory initiative requiring majority approval, a pair of statutory measures that would both need to be approved, or a single constitutional amendment that would need 55% approval to pass. The measures will be heard by the state’s three-member Title Board and, if approved, would need to submit petition signatures to qualify for the ballot.

The group’s proposal follows a similar effort initiated last year by Brandon Cary and Jorge Rodriguez, a pair of first-time political operatives who hatched their plan on Reddit. Their proposal would give Colorado’s governor emergency authority to draw a new congressional map.

By contrast, filings show that Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, which registered as an issue committee with the secretary of state’s office earlier this month, is spearheaded by veteran Democratic consultants — including Hubbard, who helped lead the campaign to establish the independent redistricting commissions eight years ago. The two Democratic candidates for Colorado governor, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser, have endorsed the idea of mid-decade redistricting.

“Ideals cannot stand alone when a political faction is openly capitalizing on the inability of their opponents to fight fire with fire,” Hubbard said. “We are asking voters to approve temporary maps to level the playing field in the face of a nationwide election-rigging effort fueled by Trump and MAGA Republicans.”

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Coloradans for a Level Playing Field said its ballot campaign could take one of several forms — a statutory initiative requiring majority approval, a pair of statutory measures that would both need to be approved, or a single constitutional amendment that would need 55% approval to pass. The measures will be heard by the state’s three-member Title Board and, if approved, would need to submit petition signatures to qualify for the ballot.

The group’s proposal follows a similar effort initiated last year by Brandon Cary and Jorge Rodriguez, a pair of first-time political operatives who hatched their plan on Reddit. Their proposal would give Colorado’s governor emergency authority to draw a new congressional map.

By contrast, filings show that Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, which registered as an issue committee with the secretary of state’s office earlier this month, is spearheaded by veteran Democratic consultants — including Hubbard, who helped lead the campaign to establish the independent redistricting commissions eight years ago. The two Democratic candidates for Colorado governor, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser, have endorsed the idea of mid-decade redistricting.

“Ideals cannot stand alone when a political faction is openly capitalizing on the inability of their opponents to fight fire with fire,” Hubbard said. “We are asking voters to approve temporary maps to level the playing field in the face of a nationwide election-rigging effort fueled by Trump and MAGA Republicans.”