Colorado

Three new initiatives circulating in Colorado seek to reverse tax hikes enacted by the legislature and Gov. Bill Ritter. Organizers aren't saying who is sponsoring the measures, which could end up on a state ballot next year, but this story suggests one force behind the initiatives may be Colorado Springs anti-tax activist Doug Bruce.

One of the more interesting developments in abortion politics in recent years is the effort by some pro-life activists to qualify statewide ballot initiatives that define a fertilized embryo as a human being, with all legal protections. A measure reached the ballot in Colorado last year and lost. But activists in that state and in Montana are trying again, with an eye on the 2010 elections.

These measures are unlikely to win -- because the concept of personhood initiatives has not been embraced by much of the pro-life movement. In Montana, for example, several leading pro-life groups are declining to back the measure because they think the personhood approach has little strategic value. In particular, pro lifers are concerned that personhood initaitives accept the logic of Roe v. Wade -- that viability of the fetus is a bright line for legalized abortion -- and thus would strengthen that precedent. So these initiatives come from smaller, less established pro-life groups--they are grass roots. More details via Christian Post.

A political fight between liquor stores and grocery stores over beer sales appears to be headed to the statewide ballot in Colorado. Grocery stores want to change state law to permit them to sell "full-strength" beer. But liquor stores and bars claim that such a change would put them out of business. The grocers, having failed to win in the legislature, say they are taking their case to the people. (Via the Durango Herald).

Some St. Patrick's Day news: Retailers in Colorado have been seeking the right to sell "full-strength" beer in convenience stores. They haven't been able to get the legislature in that state to sign off. The solution? A ballot initiative, perhaps, according to KMGH TV in Denver.

Last fall's initiative campaigns in Colorado saw an extraordinary change in the ballot at the last minute. Labor unions agreed to withdraw from the ballot a package of initiatives that targeted businesses in exchange for a promise by business groups to contribute to a labor effort to defeat three business-backed initiatives. The four labor-backed measures technically remained on the ballot, but under Colorado law, without the support of their labor sponsors, the initiatives were a dead letter. The votes cast on those initiatives didn't count.

To some, it looked like business groups were bribing the labor unions to pull the measures off the ballot. So two Republican lawmakers introduced a bill that would make it a misdemeanor to withdraw a ballot initiative in exchange for money or any promise of value. The bill was defeated in committee last week on a party line vote, the Rocky Mountain News reports.

Freda Poundstone, a Colorado politician and lobbyist best known as author of a constitutional amendment that limited Denver's ability to annex land, has filed a ballot initiative that would reduce state taxes on cars and income, bringing the latter down -- bit by bit -- from 4.5 to 3.5 percent. The initiative has received a less than friendly reception by state leaders who are trying to balance an out of whack budget, the Rocky Mountain News reports.

Your blogger is spending election day in Colorado, following results of the 18 measures on the state ballot here. I've also been showing around 10 foreign visitors -- academics, journalists, activists -- who study, write about or are involved in the initiative and referendum process in other countries.

Colorado is a crucial swing state in the presidential campaign. John McCain is even campaigning on election day here, holding a rally in Grand Junction, on the western side of the state. But it's also been the site of a bitter business vs. labor battle, with both groups qualifying multiple measures for the ballot. Four weeks ago, however, some business groups and labor unions negotiated a limited peace. Business groups agreed to abandon support for thier measures and even campaign against three of the business-backed measures--most notably Measure 47, an initiative to make Colorado a "Right to Work" state. In return, labor agreed to "withdraw" four measures. But here's the interesting wrinkle.

Measure 47, the November ballot initiative to make Colorado a "right to work" state, has so many opponents (labor and business leaders are both opposing it after a recent deal) that it's become something of a political orphan. The Rocky Mountains News, unable to get a clear answer about how the initiative came to be, has turned up legal documents showing its origins.

As part of a compromise to avert a larger initiative war, business leaders are now working with unions to fight three Colorado ballot initiatives, including Measure 47, which would make Colorado a right-to-work state. So who's left to support 47? A state furniture mogul Jake Jabs, who is now running his own self-produced ads on TV.

While I was asleep in Switzerland, peace broke out Thursday in Colorado's multi-measure labor vs. business war. As part of a deal negotiated just before the deadline for sponsors to pull their support for an initiative, business groups agreed to fund a campaign against three ballot initiatives targeting labor prerogatives, including Amendment 47, the initiative to make Colorado a right-to-work state. In return, labor agreed to drop four initiatives that it had qualified to challenge business prerogatives. More details here.

The four labor initiatives being withdrawn are Amendments 53 (making executive wrongdoing a state crime), 55 (requiring employers to show cause before firing a worker), 56 (requiring most employers to provide health insurance for workers), and 57 (permitting workers to sue employers in workers comp cases). The measures still appear on the ballots, which have been printed, but votes won't be counted.

Now business and labor will team up to defeat not only Amendment 47 but also Amendment 49, a so-called "paycheck protection" member limiting the political use of dues by public employee unions, and Amendment 54. This last is an interesting case, since it's not targeted solely at labor unions. It's an attempt to end "pay to play" politics by banning political donations from anyone -- including unions -- who has an exclusive contract with government agencies.