Shared research study link
Colorado Voter Priorities for 2026 Elections
Understand what issues matter most to Colorado voters and how they want to engage with state politics
Study Overview
Updated Jan 20, 2026
Research question: Understand what issues matter most to Colorado voters and how they want to engage with state politics, covering priority issues for 2026, preferred engagement methods, and interest/barriers to caucus/delegate roles.
Research group: Mini-sample (n=6; 18 responses) of adult voters ages 31–55, mix of renters/homeowners and professions (e.g., project manager, warehouse manager, job seeker), urban/rural perspectives, used to inform Colorado’s 2026 agenda. Voters consistently prioritized kitchen‑table outcomes they can see in monthly bills and local services: usable healthcare (lower out‑of‑pocket and transparent pricing), cost‑of‑living relief (utilities/junk fees), housing that actually gets built, reliable infrastructure/transit, and evidence‑based public safety.
They demanded accountability-budgets, timelines, owners, maintenance plans, and dashboards-and rejected culture‑war theatrics, headline hearings, and immigration stunts; notable operational asks included veteran dental care and Aldi‑style cash price tags for medical services.
For engagement, they prefer short, well‑scoped tasks (60–90 minutes) with hybrid/ADA access, childcare or stipends, and plain‑English agendas, while avoiding canvassing/phone banks, rallies, and recurring/opaque fundraising.
Most have not joined caucuses or served as delegates due to time, cost, privacy, and low perceived ROI; interest rises with binding votes, civility rules, hybrid options, and visible follow‑through. Decision takeaways: Frame proposals as monthly savings by a date; publish one‑page plans with funding sources and three‑year maintenance, plus a public deliverables dashboard; redesign field to offer defined 60–90 minute tasks, hybrid/ADA events, childcare/stipends, and one‑time donation defaults.
Prioritize near‑term delivery on housing (by‑right near transit/ADUs), state‑of‑good‑repair for transit/grid, fentanyl/EMS staffing outcomes, childcare seats/trades pipelines, and a pilot for healthcare cash‑price transparency.
Research group: Mini-sample (n=6; 18 responses) of adult voters ages 31–55, mix of renters/homeowners and professions (e.g., project manager, warehouse manager, job seeker), urban/rural perspectives, used to inform Colorado’s 2026 agenda. Voters consistently prioritized kitchen‑table outcomes they can see in monthly bills and local services: usable healthcare (lower out‑of‑pocket and transparent pricing), cost‑of‑living relief (utilities/junk fees), housing that actually gets built, reliable infrastructure/transit, and evidence‑based public safety.
They demanded accountability-budgets, timelines, owners, maintenance plans, and dashboards-and rejected culture‑war theatrics, headline hearings, and immigration stunts; notable operational asks included veteran dental care and Aldi‑style cash price tags for medical services.
For engagement, they prefer short, well‑scoped tasks (60–90 minutes) with hybrid/ADA access, childcare or stipends, and plain‑English agendas, while avoiding canvassing/phone banks, rallies, and recurring/opaque fundraising.
Most have not joined caucuses or served as delegates due to time, cost, privacy, and low perceived ROI; interest rises with binding votes, civility rules, hybrid options, and visible follow‑through. Decision takeaways: Frame proposals as monthly savings by a date; publish one‑page plans with funding sources and three‑year maintenance, plus a public deliverables dashboard; redesign field to offer defined 60–90 minute tasks, hybrid/ADA events, childcare/stipends, and one‑time donation defaults.
Prioritize near‑term delivery on housing (by‑right near transit/ADUs), state‑of‑good‑repair for transit/grid, fentanyl/EMS staffing outcomes, childcare seats/trades pipelines, and a pilot for healthcare cash‑price transparency.
Participant Snapshots
6 profiles
Shelly Pereira
Shelly Pereira, 55, is a married warehouse shift lead in suburban Norfolk, VA. Mobile-first and budget-savvy, she values reliability, safety, and clear pricing; cooks at home, volunteers with her parish, takes regional road trips, and enjoys fitness, gaming…
Catherine West
West Philadelphia mom and Army veteran, 31, divorced with two kids. Unemployed from medical device production, uninsured, cost- and time-sensitive. Pragmatic, community-tied, and data-driven; favors transparent pricing, flexible terms, and family-first solu…
Cedric Novak
Cedric Novak, Boston-based public-sector engineer and capital projects leader. Married with one college-bound teen. Bikes, batch cooks, and plans with checklists. Buys durable, interoperable solutions with clear ROI. Values transparency, equity, and climate…
Miranda Anderson
Rural Michigan credit union manager, 43, married without kids, faith-led and community-minded. Hybrid worker, practical buyer, gardener, kayaker. Values reliability, privacy, and clear pricing; wary of subscriptions, condescension, and spotty rural tech.
Jahi John
Resourceful 47-year-old in Broken Arrow, OK managing disability on a tight budget. Quietly funny, tech-tinkering, health-conscious, and community-minded. Chooses durable, honest-value solutions with flexible access, and avoids hidden fees, pushy sales, and…
Crystal Montana
Crystal Montana, a 44-year-old LDS hospital EVS shift lead in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Married, no kids, mortgage, carpool commute, uninsured. Frugal, routine-driven, community-focused. Chooses durable, cash-price, low-maintenance solutions with transparent pol…
Shelly Pereira
Shelly Pereira, 55, is a married warehouse shift lead in suburban Norfolk, VA. Mobile-first and budget-savvy, she values reliability, safety, and clear pricing; cooks at home, volunteers with her parish, takes regional road trips, and enjoys fitness, gaming…
Catherine West
West Philadelphia mom and Army veteran, 31, divorced with two kids. Unemployed from medical device production, uninsured, cost- and time-sensitive. Pragmatic, community-tied, and data-driven; favors transparent pricing, flexible terms, and family-first solu…
Cedric Novak
Cedric Novak, Boston-based public-sector engineer and capital projects leader. Married with one college-bound teen. Bikes, batch cooks, and plans with checklists. Buys durable, interoperable solutions with clear ROI. Values transparency, equity, and climate…
Miranda Anderson
Rural Michigan credit union manager, 43, married without kids, faith-led and community-minded. Hybrid worker, practical buyer, gardener, kayaker. Values reliability, privacy, and clear pricing; wary of subscriptions, condescension, and spotty rural tech.
Jahi John
Resourceful 47-year-old in Broken Arrow, OK managing disability on a tight budget. Quietly funny, tech-tinkering, health-conscious, and community-minded. Chooses durable, honest-value solutions with flexible access, and avoids hidden fees, pushy sales, and…
Crystal Montana
Crystal Montana, a 44-year-old LDS hospital EVS shift lead in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Married, no kids, mortgage, carpool commute, uninsured. Frugal, routine-driven, community-focused. Chooses durable, cash-price, low-maintenance solutions with transparent pol…
Overview
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Demographic Overview
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Participant locations
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Participant Incomes
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 ACS 1-year (Table B19001; >$200k evenly distributed for comparison)
Media Ingestion
Connections appear when personas follow many of the same sources, highlighting overlapping media diets.
Questions and Responses
3 questions
Response Summaries
3 questions
Word Cloud
Question Summary
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Summary
Themes
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Outliers
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Persona Correlations
Analyzing correlations…
Overview
This mini‑sample converges on a pragmatic, household‑centered Colorado electorate that values measurable service delivery over spectacle. Across ages, geographies and incomes respondents prioritize policies that translate into clear monthly or near‑term household impacts (lower bills, usable healthcare, housing delivery, reliable infrastructure and pragmatic public safety). Engagement is task‑oriented: short, well‑scoped activities (30–90 minutes), hybrid/remote options, and accessibility supports (childcare, transit/gas stipends) increase participation. Differences in priorities and engagement style map predictably to housing status, occupation, income and locale: urban respondents emphasize transit and housing near transit; rural/smaller‑town respondents emphasize grid reliability, broadband and flood/drainage resilience; technically trained and government professionals demand lifecycle costs, dashboards and named owners; lower‑income and caregiving households prioritize benefit access and weatherization. Campaigns and policy advocates will be most effective when they communicate in dollars, timelines and accountable deliverables, provide concise engagement opportunities, and pair modest, conditional fundraising asks with transparent line items.
Total responses: 18
Key Segments
| Segment | Attributes | Insight | Supporting Agents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Younger renters / Black caregivers with constrained availability |
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Prioritize direct monthly impacts (rent, childcare, usable healthcare, veteran services), prefer short/hybrid events with on‑site childcare or stipends, and have low tolerance for repeated fundraising asks without transparency. They are more likely to mobilize for narrowly scoped, compensated opportunities. | Catherine West, Jahi John |
| Mid‑life homeowners in managerial/professional roles |
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Focus on infrastructure reliability, school basics and measurable public safety outcomes. Will perform procedural civic tasks (precinct inspector, testimony) and demand technical accountability (budgets, dashboards, named owners) rather than rallies or symbolic activism. | Cedric Novak, Miranda Anderson, Shelly Pereira |
| Healthcare‑adjacent workers in smaller cities/rural towns |
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Operational focus on local service reliability (ER wait times, cash clinic pricing) and pricing transparency; open to pragmatic partnerships with local nonprofits and conservation measures that preserve service access. | Crystal Montana, Miranda Anderson |
| Low‑income, unemployed or precariously employed respondents |
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Prioritize access to Medicaid/SoonerCare‑style benefits, disability work flexibilities (ability to earn without losing benefits), paratransit and weatherization. Participation increases with simple application processes and small cash supports (bus/gas cards). | Jahi John |
| Urban transit‑dependent voters |
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See housing and transit as linked problems: favor by‑right housing near transit, dedicated transit revenue streams and operational fixes (hiring, maintenance plans) over one‑off capital PR projects. | Cedric Novak, Catherine West |
| Religiously affiliated but pragmatic voters |
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Religious identity correlates with community‑based civic engagement but not culture‑war enthusiasm; these voters prioritize family supports, kindness in policy design and practical service delivery. | Shelly Pereira, Miranda Anderson, Crystal Montana |
Shared Mindsets
| Trait | Signal | Agents |
|---|---|---|
| Demand for tangible household impact | Voters respond strongly when policy outcomes are framed in concrete monthly or near‑term dollar impacts and timelines (e.g., 'your bill drops $X/month by DATE'). This framing cuts across income, age and ideology. | Catherine West, Jahi John, Shelly Pereira, Miranda Anderson, Crystal Montana, Cedric Novak |
| Preference for operational solutions over spectacle | Across segments there is explicit rejection of culture‑war theatrics and performative stunts; constituents value boring, deliverable governance with named owners and maintenance plans. | Catherine West, Miranda Anderson, Shelly Pereira, Crystal Montana, Cedric Novak, Jahi John |
| Short, accessible civic engagement | Willingness to participate peaks for 30–90 minute, well‑scoped tasks, especially when hybrid/remote options, childcare and stipends are offered. Long or undefined asks deter participation. | Catherine West, Cedric Novak, Jahi John, Miranda Anderson, Shelly Pereira, Crystal Montana |
| Demand for transparency and accountability | Technical respondents and many homeowners want published budgets, timelines, dashboards and post‑mortems (wins and misses). Transparency increases willingness to give and volunteer. | Cedric Novak, Miranda Anderson, Shelly Pereira, Crystal Montana, Catherine West |
| Practical public safety expectations | Voters define safety by measurable outcomes (reduced shootings, EMS response, fentanyl enforcement), favoring operational investments over symbolic 'tough on crime' messaging. | Crystal Montana, Shelly Pereira, Miranda Anderson, Catherine West, Jahi John |
| Small, conditional giving | Respondents are open to modest one‑time donations when campaigns provide clear budgets and line items; opaque recurring asks deter support, especially among lower‑income and time‑constrained voters. | Crystal Montana, Shelly Pereira, Cedric Novak, Miranda Anderson |
| Local service priorities vary by geography | Issue salience shifts with place: coastal/surface‑drainage and flood resilience dominate where relevant; grid, broadband and conservation are central in rural/small towns; transit and zoning near transit top urban lists. | Shelly Pereira, Miranda Anderson, Cedric Novak, Catherine West, Crystal Montana |
Divergences
| Segment | Contrast | Agents |
|---|---|---|
| Specific programmatic asks vs broad household framing | Some respondents offer narrow, program‑level proposals (e.g., veteran dental clinics, streamlined VA navigation) that are more prescriptive than the common household‑dollar framing. These detailed asks signal opportunities for targeted, persona‑driven policy pilots. | Catherine West |
| Healthcare worker uninsured by choice | A healthcare‑sector respondent emphasizes cash pricing and elects to be uninsured-this contrasts with the expectation that healthcare workers uniformly prioritize expanding insurance coverage and suggests messaging must avoid assume‑uniformity. | Crystal Montana |
| Technical/constitutional emphasis among project‑driven professionals | Some technically oriented respondents combine project management demands (dashboards, lifecycle costs) with institutional guardrail concerns (explicit Insurrection Act references), adding a civil‑institution protection dimension that many others do not foreground. | Cedric Novak |
| Religious identity without culture‑war orientation | Religiously affiliated respondents express family‑centered and compassionate policy priorities while explicitly rejecting performative purity tests-contrasting with stereotypes that religious identification predicts culture‑war engagement. | Miranda Anderson, Shelly Pereira |
| Engagement capacity: younger renters vs mid‑life homeowners | Younger renters with caregiving constraints favor compensated, short/hybrid participation; mid‑life homeowners have more time/comfort for procedural civic roles (precinct work, testimony) and value technical contributions-campaigns must tailor asks accordingly. | Jahi John, Cedric Novak, Shelly Pereira |
Creating recommendations…
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Recommendations & Next Steps
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Overview
Colorado voters want boringly effective delivery on the basics they see on monthly bills: usable healthcare (lower OOP, faster access, transparent prices), cost-of-living relief (utilities, junk fees), housing that actually gets built, infrastructure/transit reliability, evidence-based public safety, and childcare/workforce pipelines. They reject culture-war stunts and demand timelines, budgets, owners, and maintenance plans. Engagement must be short (60–90 minutes), hybrid/ADA-capable, with privacy protections and visible follow-through. Action plan: pivot messaging to monthly household impact, redesign engagement around defined tasks, publish a public deliverables dashboard, localize for Colorado regions, and pilot healthcare pricing transparency.
Quick Wins (next 2–4 weeks)
| # | Action | Why | Owner | Effort | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monthly Impact Pledge | Voters reward messages framed as $/month by a date with clear owners over slogans. | Comms Director | Low | High |
| 2 | 60–90 Minute Task Hub | Participation increases when tasks are time-boxed with templates and a named owner. | Digital/Product Lead | Med | High |
| 3 | Event Accessibility + Logistics Checklist | Childcare, hybrid with captions, stipends, and hard stop-times materially boost attendance. | Field Ops Lead | Low | High |
| 4 | Plain-English One-Pagers (Top CO Issues) | Voters want budgets, timelines, funding sources, and 3-year maintenance in one page. | Policy Director | Med | High |
| 5 | Public Deliverables Dashboard (MVP) | Publishing milestones, owners, and misses builds trust and accountability. | Data & Analytics Lead | Med | High |
| 6 | One‑Time Donation Defaults + Receipts | Small, one-time gifts rise when recurring is opt-in and every $ shows a line-item use. | Finance/Compliance | Low | Med |
Initiatives (30–90 days)
| # | Initiative | Description | Owner | Timeline | Dependencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kitchen‑Table Colorado 2026 Agenda | Package 6 priority planks with 12‑month milestones:
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Policy Director | Draft in 4–6 weeks; quarterly updates through EOY | Legislative counsel, Agency data (CDPHE, CDOT, DOLA, DPS), Local partners/validators |
| 2 | Operational Transparency Suite | Build a public Deliverables Dashboard with budgets, timelines, and owners; publish post‑mortems on wins and misses; require TCO + 3‑year maintenance funding on any proposal. | Data & Analytics Lead + Comms Director | MVP in 60 days; v2 by Q3 | Data pipelines/APIs, Web engineering, Leadership mandate to publish misses |
| 3 | Boring & Effective Engagement Program | Redesign volunteering into short, well-scoped tasks with hybrid options, ADA supports, and privacy protections. Include Saturday poll worker training, remote testimony slots, and stipend/childcare support. | Field Ops Lead | Pilot in 30 days; scale by 90 days | Budget for childcare/stipends, Venue/streaming partners, Code of Conduct + enforcement |
| 4 | Healthcare Usability & Pricing Transparency Pilot | Launch a Cash Price Pledge with local clinics/hospitals (Aldi‑style shelf tag pricing), post common procedure prices, and test extended hours. Include a small veteran dental navigation mini‑pilot. | Health Policy Lead | MOUs in 60–90 days; 6‑month pilot thereafter | Hospital/clinic MOUs, Legal review, Data sharing + patient privacy protections |
| 5 | Cost‑of‑Living Relief Toolkit | Standing program to enroll households in weatherization/utility discounts, highlight junk fee eliminations, and push insurance premium relief messaging with monthly savings calculators. | Consumer Protection Lead | Toolkit live in 45 days; monthly sprints | Utilities/State energy office, Regulatory staff, Calculator UX/dev |
| 6 | Localized Messaging & Regionalization | Tailor messages by region: Front Range (housing near RTD + transit uptime), Western Slope (grid/water/broadband), Mountain towns (workforce housing/infrastructure), Eastern Plains (roads, ag logistics, broadband). Equip local validators with one-pagers. | Comms Director | Research + drafts in 45 days; refresh quarterly | Local stakeholder interviews, Regional data (CDOT/RTD, broadband maps), Validator recruitment |
KPIs to Track
| # | KPI | Definition | Target | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60–90 Minute Task Completion Rate | Share of assigned short tasks completed within 7 days | ≥50% completion weekly | Weekly |
| 2 | On‑Time, Time‑Boxed Events | Percent of events that start on time and end within planned 60–90 minutes | ≥95% on-time; ≥90% within planned duration | Monthly |
| 3 | Monthly‑Savings Framing Adoption | Share of public comms that state a $ per month change and a by-when date | ≥80% of outward comms | Monthly |
| 4 | One‑Time Donation Conversion with Receipts | Percent of attendees/users making a one-time gift after seeing a line-item budget | ≥5% conversion; ≤10% recurring by default (opt-in only) | Monthly |
| 5 | Accessibility Coverage & Utilization | Percent of events offering childcare/hybrid/captions and usage rates of each | ≥75% events offer; ≥30% utilization where offered | Monthly |
| 6 | Policy Milestones On‑Time | Share of published initiative milestones hit by their target date | ≥80% on-time | Monthly/Quarterly |
Risks & Mitigations
| # | Risk | Mitigation | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Overpromising household savings or delivery timelines outside organizational control | Scope promises to controllable levers, show ranges/assumptions, and publish dependencies alongside timelines | Policy Director |
| 2 | Data privacy backlash (spam, list selling, donor pressure) | Default to one-time, explicit opt-ins, weekly digest cap, no data sharing; publish a privacy policy in plain English | Digital/Compliance Lead |
| 3 | Accessibility supports advertised but not delivered | Mandatory event checklist, pre‑event QA, earmarked budget line, and a visible accessibility point‑of‑contact | Field Ops Lead |
| 4 | Internal resistance to publishing misses on the dashboard | Leadership mandate, comms playbook for miss explanations, and quarterly post‑mortems with corrective actions | Campaign Manager/Executive Lead |
| 5 | Geographic mismatch between insights and Colorado specifics | Run a rapid Colorado‑only validation (short survey + 6 listening sessions) before scaling messages | Research Lead |
| 6 | Culture‑war trolling or bad‑faith disruptions at events | Enforce code of conduct, trained moderators, and a clear removal policy; prioritize hybrid with moderated Q&A | Comms Director |
Timeline
- 0–30 days: Launch Monthly Impact Pledge, event accessibility checklist, donation defaults; stand up Task Hub v1; draft 3 issue one‑pagers.
- 31–60 days: Dashboard MVP live; complete CO regional message drafts; secure MOUs for healthcare pricing pilot; publish full one‑pager set.
- 61–120 days: Pilot healthcare pricing transparency; scale short‑task program and hybrid testimony; deploy cost‑of‑living toolkit; first quarterly post‑mortem.
- 121–180 days: Expand pilots to additional regions/providers; refine dashboard (auto‑updates); measure and iterate based on KPI trends.
- Through 2026: Quarterly updates to Kitchen‑Table Agenda, aggressive delivery tracking, and continuous accessibility improvements.
Research Study Narrative
Objective and context
Claude commissioned qualitative research to understand what issues matter most to Colorado voters heading into 2026 and how they want to engage. Across three lines of questioning, respondents converged on a pragmatic, household-centered mindset: they reward boringly effective delivery on basics they see in monthly bills and local services, and they avoid performative politics. Evidence below integrates priorities, engagement modes, persona correlations, and the operational recommendations voters explicitly asked for.
What matters most-and what to avoid
Kitchen-table priorities dominate. Voters want usable healthcare (lower out-of-pocket, transparent prices, faster primary/mental health access) and real cost-of-living relief (utilities, insurance, junk fees). Housing must “actually get built,” with by-right near transit, ADUs, rehab, and financing that delivers units within the cycle, not later (Cedric Novak). Reliability across infrastructure and transit is non-negotiable: “crews funded, salt piles stocked, trees trimmed around lines” (Miranda Anderson). Public safety is defined by measurable outcomes-fewer shootings, fentanyl enforcement, functioning EMS-and interagency coordination (Crystal Montana). A throughline is accountability and delivery: timelines, funding sources, maintenance plans, and short-term milestones over slogans. Respondents reject culture-war spectacles, celebrity immigration stunts, and headline hearings as distractions. Specific operational asks surfaced too: veteran dental/navigation (Catherine West) and retail-style medical pricing (“post the cash price up front like an Aldi shelf tag,” Crystal Montana). Some technically oriented respondents also flagged institutional guardrails (Cedric Novak’s Insurrection Act caution).
How voters will engage
Participation is highest for short, well-scoped tasks (60–90 minutes) with templates and a named owner-e.g., “Email these 2 reps with this data by Friday” (Cedric Novak). People prefer hybrid/remote options, plain-English agendas with start/stop times, and visible follow-through (“proof my input matters,” Shelly Pereira). They avoid high-effort/performative asks-door-knocking, phone/text banks, rallies, social-media shouting (Crystal Montana; “If it fixes roads, clinics, or broadband, I’ll show up. If it’s a pep rally, hard pass,” Miranda Anderson). Practical supports-childcare, transit/gas stipends, food, captioned livestreams, a single clear reminder-materially increase participation. Small, one-time donations are viable when tied to transparent line items.
Barriers to caucuses/delegate roles
Sympathy is high; uptake is low. Time, money, privacy, and emotional labor outweigh perceived benefits. Voters want accessible, accountable, boringly effective processes: short, predictable meetings; hybrid/ADA-capable access; dignity- and privacy-forward accommodations (Jahi John); enforceable civility (“no grandstanding,” Miranda Anderson); plain-English roles with binding follow-through (Shelly Pereira); and vote math, deliverables, and owners (Cedric Novak). Caregiving and physical comfort constraints are decisive (Catherine West).
Persona correlations
- Younger renters/Black caregivers (Catherine West, Jahi John): prioritize monthly impacts (rent, childcare, usable healthcare); prefer short/hybrid with childcare or stipends; low tolerance for opaque fundraising.
- Mid-life homeowners/professionals (Cedric Novak, Miranda Anderson, Shelly Pereira): emphasize infrastructure reliability, schools, measurable safety; will do procedural tasks; demand budgets, dashboards, named owners.
- Healthcare-adjacent, small city/rural (Crystal Montana, Miranda Anderson): focus on ER access, transparent cash pricing, starter housing; open to pragmatic local partnerships.
- Urban transit-dependent (Cedric Novak, Catherine West): link by-right housing near transit with dedicated revenue and state-of-good-repair over new ribbon cuttings.
- Religiously affiliated but pragmatic (Shelly Pereira, Miranda Anderson): favor family supports and civility without culture-war enthusiasm.
Recommendations
- Message in monthly dollars and dates: “your bill drops $X/month by DATE,” with owners and maintenance plans.
- Publish operational transparency: a public deliverables dashboard with budgets, timelines, owners, and post-mortems on wins and misses.
- Redesign engagement: a 60–90 Minute Task Hub; hybrid events with childcare, captions, stipends; enforce a code of conduct.
- Pilot healthcare usability: cash price “shelf tags” for common procedures and a mini veteran dental/navigation pilot.
- Prioritize delivery: housing near transit/ADUs with within-cycle unit targets; transit state-of-good-repair, bus priority, and hiring pipelines; public safety measured by EMS response, fentanyl enforcement, and repeat-offender outcomes.
Risks and guardrails
- Overpromising: limit claims to controllable levers; show ranges/assumptions and dependencies.
- Privacy backlash: default to one-time asks, clear opt-ins, and a plain-English privacy policy.
- Accessibility gaps: mandate an event checklist, pre-event QA, and a visible accessibility POC.
- Resistance to publishing misses: leadership mandate and quarterly post-mortems with corrective actions.
- Colorado fit: run a rapid Colorado-only validation (short survey + six listening sessions) before scaling.
Next steps and measurement
- 0–30 days: Launch a Monthly Impact Pledge; stand up the Task Hub; adopt an accessibility/logistics checklist; draft three plain-English one-pagers (budgets, timelines, maintenance).
- 31–60 days: Ship dashboard MVP; localize messaging by Colorado region; secure MOUs for the healthcare pricing pilot.
- 61–120 days: Pilot cash-price transparency and veteran dental navigation; scale short-task program and hybrid testimony; deploy a cost-of-living relief toolkit.
- KPIs: 60–90 minute task completion ≥50% weekly; on-time, time-boxed events ≥95% start and ≥90% within duration; monthly-savings framing in ≥80% of comms; one-time donation conversion ≥5% with receipts and ≤10% recurring by default; accessibility offered at ≥75% of events with ≥30% utilization where offered.
Recommended Follow-up Questions
Updated Jan 20, 2026
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Which concrete outcomes should Colorado deliver by the end of 2026? In each set, select the most and least important. Options: Lower average out-of-pocket healthcare costs; Shorter waits for primary care and mental health; Lower monthly utility bills; More housing units permitted and started; Fewer fentanyl overdose deaths; More reliable and frequent transit; Improved road/bridge condition; Fewer surprise/junk fees on bills.maxdiff Forces trade-offs among tangible outcomes to prioritize the 2026 agenda and messaging focus.
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For each monthly bill you pay, what minimum dollar decrease would feel meaningful enough to notice and credit policymakers? Enter a dollar amount (enter 0 if not applicable): Health care out-of-pocket; Health insurance premium; Rent/mortgage; Utilities (electric/gas/water); Internet/mobile; Auto insurance.matrix Sets concrete dollar thresholds to define ‘meaningful’ impact and target policy/design of relief programs.
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Please indicate your level of support or opposition for each housing delivery policy (from strongly oppose to strongly support): By-right multifamily zoning near transit; Legalizing ADUs statewide; Reducing/eliminating parking minimums near transit; Enforcing permit timelines with automatic approval after deadlines; State preemption of local caps that limit housing supply; Funding public housing rehab; Incentives for office-to-residential conversions.matrix Identifies which housing-enabling levers are acceptable to accelerate delivery without political backlash.
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When funding improvements to basics (health care access, housing, infrastructure), which approaches are most and least acceptable? Options: Reprioritize existing budget/cut lower-priority spending; State bonds; Fee on short-term rentals/investor-owned vacant homes; Progressive income tax surcharge on top earners; Broad sales tax increase; Utility bill surcharge with low-income protections; User fees/public–private partnerships.maxdiff Clarifies preferred financing mechanisms to align policy design with voter acceptability.
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Which channels or messengers would you actually use to receive monthly progress updates from state or local government? Select up to three: State dashboard website; Email from state agency; Text alerts; Local TV news; Local newspaper/website; City/county newsletter; Nonprofit watchdog/consumer group; Union/professional association; Social media of elected officials; Neighborhood app (e.g., Nextdoor).multi select Directs communication strategy to the channels voters will monitor, improving reach and trust.
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In a typical month, how many 60–90 minute civic tasks would you realistically complete (e.g., reviewing materials, attending a brief meeting, or a discrete volunteer task)?numeric Quantifies realistic capacity to plan staffing, task design, and cadence for a task hub.
Questions convert broad preferences into trade-offs, dollar thresholds, acceptable levers, and operational capacities to guide 2026 prioritization, funding, communications, and engagement design.
Study Overview
Updated Jan 20, 2026
Research question: Understand what issues matter most to Colorado voters and how they want to engage with state politics, covering priority issues for 2026, preferred engagement methods, and interest/barriers to caucus/delegate roles.
Research group: Mini-sample (n=6; 18 responses) of adult voters ages 31–55, mix of renters/homeowners and professions (e.g., project manager, warehouse manager, job seeker), urban/rural perspectives, used to inform Colorado’s 2026 agenda. Voters consistently prioritized kitchen‑table outcomes they can see in monthly bills and local services: usable healthcare (lower out‑of‑pocket and transparent pricing), cost‑of‑living relief (utilities/junk fees), housing that actually gets built, reliable infrastructure/transit, and evidence‑based public safety.
They demanded accountability-budgets, timelines, owners, maintenance plans, and dashboards-and rejected culture‑war theatrics, headline hearings, and immigration stunts; notable operational asks included veteran dental care and Aldi‑style cash price tags for medical services.
For engagement, they prefer short, well‑scoped tasks (60–90 minutes) with hybrid/ADA access, childcare or stipends, and plain‑English agendas, while avoiding canvassing/phone banks, rallies, and recurring/opaque fundraising.
Most have not joined caucuses or served as delegates due to time, cost, privacy, and low perceived ROI; interest rises with binding votes, civility rules, hybrid options, and visible follow‑through. Decision takeaways: Frame proposals as monthly savings by a date; publish one‑page plans with funding sources and three‑year maintenance, plus a public deliverables dashboard; redesign field to offer defined 60–90 minute tasks, hybrid/ADA events, childcare/stipends, and one‑time donation defaults.
Prioritize near‑term delivery on housing (by‑right near transit/ADUs), state‑of‑good‑repair for transit/grid, fentanyl/EMS staffing outcomes, childcare seats/trades pipelines, and a pilot for healthcare cash‑price transparency.
Research group: Mini-sample (n=6; 18 responses) of adult voters ages 31–55, mix of renters/homeowners and professions (e.g., project manager, warehouse manager, job seeker), urban/rural perspectives, used to inform Colorado’s 2026 agenda. Voters consistently prioritized kitchen‑table outcomes they can see in monthly bills and local services: usable healthcare (lower out‑of‑pocket and transparent pricing), cost‑of‑living relief (utilities/junk fees), housing that actually gets built, reliable infrastructure/transit, and evidence‑based public safety.
They demanded accountability-budgets, timelines, owners, maintenance plans, and dashboards-and rejected culture‑war theatrics, headline hearings, and immigration stunts; notable operational asks included veteran dental care and Aldi‑style cash price tags for medical services.
For engagement, they prefer short, well‑scoped tasks (60–90 minutes) with hybrid/ADA access, childcare or stipends, and plain‑English agendas, while avoiding canvassing/phone banks, rallies, and recurring/opaque fundraising.
Most have not joined caucuses or served as delegates due to time, cost, privacy, and low perceived ROI; interest rises with binding votes, civility rules, hybrid options, and visible follow‑through. Decision takeaways: Frame proposals as monthly savings by a date; publish one‑page plans with funding sources and three‑year maintenance, plus a public deliverables dashboard; redesign field to offer defined 60–90 minute tasks, hybrid/ADA events, childcare/stipends, and one‑time donation defaults.
Prioritize near‑term delivery on housing (by‑right near transit/ADUs), state‑of‑good‑repair for transit/grid, fentanyl/EMS staffing outcomes, childcare seats/trades pipelines, and a pilot for healthcare cash‑price transparency.
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