Face the State

Face The State Staff Report

Colorado’s progressive non-profits have formed a coalition called the Colorado C-3 Roundtable and are organizing a series of statewide forums designed to “educate” voters about 11 of the 18 measures under consideration on this November's ballot. Many of the measures' proponents allege, however, that the roundtable is failing to include a balanced view on their efforts.

Coordinator Paula McClain says the coalition has only been around a few months and is focused on voter education and voter registration. Member organizations include ProgessNow, Colorado Progressive Coalition, 9to5 National Association of Working Women, ACORN, Planned Parenthood, NARAL, Common Cause, the Bell Policy Center and dozens more. These organizations will be presenting information on Amendments 46, 47, 48, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59 and Ref. L to interested voters. Despite the C-3 Roundtable’s expressed goal of educating voters and its claim to be non-partisan, center-right campaigns say they have not been contacted to participate in these “educational” forums to present the pro-side of their issues.

“It doesn’t surprise me that a liberal organization, like The Bell Policy Center, wouldn’t bother to give a balanced view of the initiatives on this ballot,” said Rep. Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, a co-sponsor of Amendment 52, who said his campaign was not contacted to participate in the forums. The proposal would use severance tax revenues to fund transportation. The campaigns behind Amendments 46, 47, 48, 52 and 54 maintain that they were also not contacted.

"These forums sound more like voter indoctrination than voter education," McNulty added.

But the campaign promoting Gov. Bill Ritter’s severance tax increase, Amendment 58, was contacted. Ritter’s proposal includes a $200 million tax increase on the energy industry. The campaign’s spokesman George Merritt said the campaign was contacted by the C-3 Roundtable and will be represented.

Tom Lucero, campaign manager for Clean Government Colorado, titled Amendment 54 for the November ballot, said when he learned about the forums he contacted the C-3 Roundtable to ask who was going to speak on behalf of Amendment 54. He was told to contact Britney Wilburn at ProgressNow but as of close of business Friday, Lucero's call had not been returned.

In general, non-profits, called "501c3's" after the part of the federal tax code that applies to such organizations, are not allowed to advocate for a cause, but there is an exception. An H filing with the Internal Revenue Service allows them to use a portion of their money for advocacy. Many non-profits also establish a 501c4, which is a non-profit, tax-exempt arm used for political advocacy and lobbying but is ineligible for federal monies, like grants.

CPC has been campaigning against Amendment 46, a measure that, if passed, would eliminate race and gender preferences in public education, public hiring, and public contracting. Planned Parenthood and NARAL have come out against Amendment 48, a measure that would ban abortion by defining personhood as the moment of fertilization.

The C-3 Roundtable describes itself as a “coalition of progressive non-profit, non-partisan organizations that is dedicated to building an inclusive, engaged and equitable state for all Coloradans.” It is named for its members’ 501(c) 3 non-profit status and should not be confused with the Colorado Competitive Council, an arm of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce that is devoted to “preserving and enhancing a competitive business climate in the Centennial State,” which also goes by the name C3.