DENVER – A state ballot effort to require Colorado to divest from Iran after a White House nuclear deal is not surprisingly facing politics.
Proponents – including former Colorado House Republican Leader Mark Waller of Colorado Springs – submitted ballot language Wednesday. If that language is approved by the state, then proponents can begin collecting the 98,492 valid signatures needed to place the issue before voters in 2016.
Democrats are already raising concerns, including U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, who has found himself in the crosshairs of the debate while facing re-election in 2016.
Bennet recently announced his support for the deal, which after implementation will ease economic sanctions on Iran if the country reduces nuclear material production.
The Bennet announcement resulted in ongoing attacks from state and national Republicans, who say he should, at the very least, support the ballot proposal to divest from Iran. A spokeswoman for Bennet said the senator would not be supporting the ballot drive.
The Defund Iran Colorado effort is part of a national movement. Colorado is one of five states – including Arizona, Florida, Missouri and Ohio – with proponents working on divestiture language. Defund Iran will launch efforts in at least 15 states by the end of September and will work to place the issue before voters in as many as 25 states next year, according to a news release announcing the initiative.
Funding for the initiative remains a bit unclear. Registered as a 501(c)4, Defund Iran Inc. does not have to disclose its donors. Proponents say money will come from a “grass-roots” coalition of both national and state interests. The group had not established an issue committee in Colorado as of Friday, noting that the ballot language is still not finalized.
The state’s pension system – Public Employees’ Retirement Association, or PERA – already divests from nations with ties to terrorism. But no state law actually requires divestment from companies doing business with the Iran government.
Under the Defund Iran proposal, companies benefiting from oil-related activities in Iran, or assisting with Iran’s ability to develop petroleum resources, would be included in the public investment ban.
Waller said the effort is far from unprecedented, pointing out that Democrats in 2007 pushed a measure that was signed by Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, requiring the state to divest public pension funds from companies with ties to Sudan. Genocide in the Darfur region at the time sparked the conversation.
“Nobody accused (Democrats) of playing political games when they were trying to divest from investments in the Sudan,” Waller said. “This is a very similar initiative. In fact, the only difference is I don’t think the Sudanese government was out calling ‘death to America’ the way the Iranian government is.”
One of the first co-sponsors of the 2007 Sudan legislation was Sen. Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood, who served as a member of the Colorado House at the time. Kerr said the fundamental difference is that the Sudan effort was done through the legislative process. He added that a ballot drive becomes much more political.
“Oftentimes, that’s what’s done when one side is trying to drive their voters to the polls, is that they’ll run an initiative rather than just run a standalone bill,” Kerr said.
“The geopolitics of it is different as well,” Kerr continued. “Where Iran is a major oil-producing nation in the world and it has a fairly large economy, Sudan is a much smaller economy and the government there was actively involved in genocide on its people.”
Waller countered by pointing out that a wide range of issues are often considered for the ballot without being accused of politics. He highlighted efforts to reform the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights in Colorado.
Erin McCann, spokeswoman for Bennet, said her boss “doesn’t think a ballot initiative would materially address the problem.” Instead, Bennet is working on legislation with U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat from Maryland, that they hope would address concerns for Israel.
“Among other actions, their legislative package would strengthen implementation of the agreement and our support for Israel by ensuring we track money coming into Iran as a result of sanctions relief and continue to work with allies to counter any Iranian conventional and terrorist activities, including those threats posed to Israel,” McCann said.
But Waller said the best thing Bennet can do to show his support for Israel and the United States is to simply back the ballot proposal.
“The best way to make it a nonpolitical issue is to support it,” Waller said. “If Michael Bennet were to support it, how would we be able to use it against him?”
pmarcus@durangoherald.com
