Colorado Politics: Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday agreed a group that spent $4 million backing conservative causes on the ballot in 2020 is required to disclose its contributions and spending, and pay a $40,000 fine for failing to register as an advocacy group.

A trial judge previously believed Unite for Colorado, which spent roughly $17 million during 2020, was not subject to the registration and disclosure requirement because its $4 million spent across multiple ballot initiatives was not substantial enough when broken down issue-by-issue.

However, a three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals rejected the idea that Unite for Colorado could spend millions of dollars on ballot measures and still be shielded from the requirement to register and disclose. The panel further rebuffed Unite for Colorado’s argument that compelling it to follow campaign finance law would violate its First Amendment rights.

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