FAQ

ACE is a Colorado-based 501(c)(4) organization that strengthens democracy by supporting the development, cooperation, and visibility of minor political parties. Our team includes veterans from U.S. foreign aid agencies and leading international democracy institutions. We have conducted election observation, political party training, survey research, and strategic communications in democracies around the globe. We have seen what works when voters are disengaged, parties are weak, and party monopolies choke out choice. Now we are applying those methods domestically.

ACE builds infrastructure for minor political parties. That means running workshops for party leaders, conducting original polling and election observation, building coalitions among Colorado's eight minor parties, and producing research that gives parties the data they need to compete. We do not run campaigns or endorse candidates. Our job is to build the capacity that makes multiparty competition viable.

No. ACE works across the ideological spectrum. We are multipartisan, meaning we work with all of Colorado's minor parties regardless of their political orientation. We do not endorse candidates, we do not run campaigns, and we do not favor one party over another. Our work is about building shared infrastructure and competitive conditions, not picking winners.

The spoiler effect is a real problem, but it is a design flaw in winner-take-all elections, not an inherent feature of democracy. Ranked choice voting eliminates it. Fort Collins voters chose RCV by 58 percent. ACE builds coalitions so parties coordinate rather than split votes, and we support the electoral reforms that make multiparty competition structurally viable.

Half of Colorado's active voters are registered as independent or unaffiliated, climbing to 66 percent among younger voters. When asked why, Coloradans cite distrust of the two-party system as their top reason. Forty-four percent of Colorado independents view both major parties unfavorably. The demand for alternatives is not theoretical — it is already here. The problem is that the eight minor parties that exist lack the organizational infrastructure to meet that demand.

The current system already produces the chaos people fear: voters feel unrepresented, turnout stagnates, and political polarization deepens. Multiparty democracies around the world produce more stable, representative governance because coalition-building is built into the system. That is what ACE is working toward.

The methods ACE uses — party development, coalition building, election observation, and polling — were developed and refined in the U.S. and applied in countries building democratic systems from the ground up. Our team learned those methods alongside seasoned practitioners, many of them American. Colorado's minor parties face the same structural challenges as small parties everywhere. The playbook translates.

FairVote focuses on voting system reform, primarily ranked choice voting advocacy. Unite America focuses on supporting independent candidates and nonpartisan primaries. Neither works directly with parties or builds the shared infrastructure that makes multiparty competition function. ACE occupies a distinct niche: we work directly with parties, build coalitions among them, and bring international party development methods that no other Colorado organization currently offers.

ACE is funded by democracy-focused philanthropic organizations and individual donors. We do not accept funding that would compromise our multipartisan mission, and we do not receive money from major party committees or candidates. A full list of organizational funders is available upon request.

ACE is multipartisan, which is a meaningful distinction. Nonpartisan typically means operating outside or between the two major parties. Multipartisan means we work across the full political spectrum, including with parties to the left, right, and outside the conventional binary. We support the conditions for competitive elections, not a particular ideological outcome.

You can support ACE's work by donating, volunteering, or connecting your party with our coalition. Visit the Join the Alliance page to explore options, or contact us directly at Admin@CompetitiveElections.org.