Lawmakers want to make back-room ballot deals illegal

Two Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make it illegal to engage in deals like the one this past election to pull several contentious union-backed measures off the ballot.

State Rep. Amy Stephens, R-Monument, and state Sen. Mike Kopp, R-Littleton, introduced House Bill 1069 Wednesday. The bill would make it illegal for groups that have ballot initiatives certified by the secretary of state to then withdraw those initiatives because of a back-room deal offering money, gifts or any “other valuable consideration.” Such a provision already exists in state law when it comes to candidates for office, Kopp said.

“When the secretary of state certifies a ballot initiative, we have tens of thousands of Coloradans who put their name on that petition saying, ‘Yes we want this law to exist,’” Kopp said. “We don't think it should be lawful for special interests to cluster together in a closed-door meeting and subvert their will.”

Kopp said the motivation for the bill came from last fall’s deal between labor groups and business leaders to pull four labor-backed initiatives just weeks before the election. The deal was contingent on financial support from the business community to fight three initiatives the unions felt were anti-labor. Labor leaders said it was important to “prioritize our fight” against the three initiatives.

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