Unions allege fraud by signature gatherers

A labor-backed organization filed complaints Tuesday alleging that proponents of two initiative petitions targeting unions are fraudulently collecting signatures.

A lawyer for the union-backed group, Protect Colorado's Future, filed the complaints with Secretary of State Mike Coffman's office. The same group earlier this year challenged signature gathering for Amendment 47, the so-called "right to work" ballot measure.

A lawsuit over those allegations is pending.

The complaints filed Tuesday allege that petition circulators for proposed initiatives 53 and 59 engaged in fraud. Initiative 53 would bar governments from deducting union fees from employee paychecks, while 59 would prohibit unions that have collective bargaining agreements with governments from making political contributions.

The complaints allege that signature gatherers told people that they did not have to be registered voters to sign the petitions and that they could sign for someone else. A circulator also stated that she was adding signatures to a petition after it had already been notarized, the papers with Coffman's office said.

Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute, which is backing the two measures, dismissed the complaints as "false claims" intended to tie up the initiatives and keep them off the ballot. He said petition circulators were given specific instructions on how to lawfully collect signatures.

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