In a presidential election year when democracy itself is under threat, local political megadonor Kent Thiry is proposing a massive reform to Colorado’s elections. But Initiative 310 will only make it onto our November ballots if the campaign can collect 125,000 signatures by the first week of August. So producer Paul Karolyi sat down with Thiry and one of his top allies — former Denver Elections director Amber McReynolds — to talk about how this reform would work, why both Democrats and Republicans are so mad at them, and whether or not Thiry is just clearing the path for his own long-anticipated run for governor. Oh, and you better believe Paul asked what’s up with Thiry’s reported obsession with The Three Musketeers.

Initiative 310 would implement “open primaries” and ranked choice voting in elections for federal and state offices in Colorado. We recently published an explainer for ranked choice voting, which you can read here, and you can learn more about open primaries from our friends at Colorado Public Radio.

Paul mentioned the 2017 episode of Last Week Tonight where John Oliver explored the dialysis industry and poked fun at Thiry for dressing up like The Three Musketeers. 

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.

Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm

What do you think about Kent Thiry and Initiative 310? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418‬

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

• Blanco Cocina + Cantina


• Babbel


• “Lavender Festival” at Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms (July 20-21)

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Hey Victoria, thanks for listening and leaving us a message. I agree Patty is the best! This is Paul btw. I thought you might be curious, I just checked Union Station's code of conduct and it confirms my personal experience: "Restrooms and seating within the common areas of the Great Hall are reserved for patrons of Denver Union Station, Amtrak, and the Crawford Hotel only." You can find the rest of their rules here: https://www.denverunionstation.com/content/uploads/2023/02/DUS-Code-of-Conduct.pdf

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices