Deceptive Petitioning Sparks Community Concern in Arvada

On September 8th, 2025, we received a tip from a reader that somebody had set up a table in front of the King Soopers at 15200 W 64th Ave in Arvada, Colorado, and was engaging in deceptive petitioning practices. The circulator sat at the table with a sign that read: 

"End Sanctuary for Violent Felons
SIGN HERE FOR THE BALLOT
to
STOP FENTANYL"

Petitions being circulated

The petition circulator was collecting signatures for ballot initiatives #85 and #95. Initiative 85 has the unofficial caption "Penalties for Fentanyl Crimes," and proposes changes to existing drug laws in the state. Initiative 95, unofficially captioned "Law Enforcement Reporting Requirements to Federal Authorities," proposes a constitutional amendment to the State Constitution that would require law enforcement to report individuals whose legal status cannot be confirmed to the Department of Homeland Security if they are being charged with a crime of violence, or have previously been convicted of a felony. This amendment would nullify existing laws restricting law enforcement from providing immigration status to federal officers. 

From the information we obtained, the circulator would pitch the content of Initiative 85 before handing the signature form for Initiative 95 to potential signers, possibly deceiving them, as the two numbers can look similar in print. King Soopers attempted to ask the man to leave, but he refused, according to a manager at the store. They also told us that they requested assistance from the Arvada Police Department, who told them they could not remove the individual from the property. In response, King Soopers placed a sign near the individual that read: 

"To our Customers:
These Petitioners are on the Property of King Soopers without our Permission
King Soopers is not associated with this Petitioning Activity
We apologize for any inconvenience."

At a King Soopers in Greeley, we found protesters with the same organization. Here, they would talk about Initiative 85 before presenting the forms. They had the petition for Initiative 95 on the reverse side of the petition forms, where they would flip forms over and say this one was for reducing violent crime with no additional information.

When we attempted to gather additional information from King Soopers about the incidents, we were directed to their corporate offices to speak with their media relations team, who have not returned our call at the time of this writing. 

Arvada Police on the lack of enforcement action

We also contacted the Arvada Police Department to clarify why they would not trespass the individual from private property at the management's request. Arvada Police Public Relations Detective Chase Amos told us that he had been unable to find a dispatch call from King Soopers management, just a store patron, and that they dispatched a commander to the scene. Amos also stated Arvada Police would likely not enforce a trespass request purely on petitioning activities. He told us the courts generally treat stores like King Soopers as public forums, and in this case, they place First Amendment rights above private property rights.

Austin Breen, a store patron, told us that the circulator was not wearing a circulator identification card as required by Colorado State Law for petition circulators. Breen also told us, "He was calling me, a patron at the store, a communist, Marxist, retard, pedo protector, and other names." When I asked Detective Amos about this, he indicated that the individual was wearing an identification, but could not confirm what type, according to the Commander's report on the call. I asked Detective Amos if the Arvada Police would have enforced the law regarding circulators wearing proper identification. He told me that it would be unlikely the department would pursue charges and that it would be up to the state to handle any matters relating to illegal activity directly tied to canvassing activities.

In an additional statement from Arvada Police Public Relations, Detective David Snelling told us they adhere to the following standard in these situations:

The Colorado Supreme Court in the case of Bock v. City of Westminster has given very strict protections to the 1st Amendment. This protection extends to individuals who exercise their First Amendment rights in locations that are technically private property but open themselves up to being considered a "public forum" based on a number of factors. Such places include malls, large shopping centers, and even stores such as King Soopers. Given the protection handed down by the Colorado Supreme Court in Bock v. City of Westminster, APD cannot and will not remove individuals who are calmly and legally exercising their 1st Amendment rights in locations such as King Soopers. Businesses, such as King Soopers, have other recourses they can use through the civil process.

These activities are not an isolated incident. According to a post on the r/DenverProtests subreddit, others have seen people with identical petitions at stores around Colorado.

Initiatives filed with the state

Based on the filings we found for ballot initiatives, the numbering of these initiatives may have been intentional to aid in the deception of petition signers. 9 of the 10 initiatives, from 85 to 95, were listed with the same designated representatives who work for West Group, a legal firm based in Denver. 6 contained the same unofficial caption, a shortened title assigned by legislative staff for tracking purposes. Many had a withdrawn status or were in other pending statuses.

West Group

According to West Group's website: "West Group is a leading political and election law firm in the Western United States, representing corporations, non-profits, political committees as well as state and federal elected officials to help ensure compliance with federal and state election and campaign finance laws. In the prior election cycle, these representations included members of the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, a U.S. presidential campaign, non-profit organizations and multiple Super PAC's and 527 committees." 

We have been unable to find any direct connections between West Group and known conservative groups or organizations; however, other ballot initiatives put forward by agents of West Group focus on achieving conservative goals. On the 2024 Ballot, the West Group was responsible for Amendment 80, which, if passed, would provide that each K-12 child has the right to school choice. They also attempted Initiative 279, which would eliminate the Title Board as a part of the process for submitting ballot initiatives. Withdrawn Initiative 264 tried to institute a "Charter School Institute." Leaders in the state legislature would make appointments to the institute board. The governor must also appoint a charter school board president to the institute board, as well as "an executive from a nonprofit who advocates for school choice," and would require the President of the Colorado Charter School League to be appointed to the board. 

Secretary of State's office response on the issue

We reached out to Colorado Secretary of State's Office Communications Director Jack Todd about the legality of submitting multiple, nearly identical initiatives in a short time frame. In an email, he advised us, "This is something that is commonly done by proponents of measures and falls within the provisions of Colorado law." He also noted, "Anyone may submit a petition complaint to the Department if they have evidence of a violation of the identification requirement (or any other petition law violation) and the Department will investigate."

When asked about respecting private property, Jack told us, "Colorado law is silent on where or where not a petition circulator can circulate a petition.  The Department advises that petition circulators ask a property owner for permission before circulating on their property."

We will continue our investigation into the actions of petition circulators and the groups behind submitting these initiatives. As we move into the 2026 Campaign cycle, we urge everyone to pay close attention to any petitions they come across before signing. Make sure you understand the goals of these initiatives, and read the titles of any petition forms you’re considering signing.

 Please take a moment to review the resources provided below if you would like more information on the Secretary of State and ballot initiatives:

• Contact the Secretary of State
• List of Ballot Initiatives - Secretary of State
• List of Officially Licensed Petition Entities - Secretary of State
• Report violations to ballot.access@coloradosos.gov