The party and a get-out the- vote group share info illegally, a Dem says. Republicans say not so.

A Republican campaign group has started a nonprofit to fund get-out-the-vote activities and is raising liberal eyebrows because it does not have to report its donors or expenditures before next week's election.

The Trailhead Group - a GOP campaign operation founded by Gov. Bill Owens, oilman Bruce Benson and beerman Pete Coors - has funded the nonprofit, the Colorado Good Government Initiative, to encourage Republican- leaning voters to cast a ballot.

The work of a Republican consultant for Trailhead and the state Republican Party has a leading Democratic lawyer questioning whether the groups are sharing information that is worth more than campaign contribution limits allow.

"CGGI and the Republican Party have been illegally coordinating to run a secret get-out- the-vote organization in Colorado," said Democratic lawyer Mark Grueskin. "We don't have any idea who's paying for the CGGI effort that's being run hand and glove with the Republican Party."

Republicans deny they are illegally sharing information.

"Frankly, it's no surprise that the Democrats are trying to change the subject one more time," said Bryant Adams, state GOP spokesman. "They are definitely afraid of our get-out- the-vote machine ... and they're going to do anything they can to try and discredit it."

With days until the election, both sides are in a heated race to turn out as many voters as possible before 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Grueskin said CGGI and the state party are illegally coordinating because they paid the same consultant, Sean Tonner, who did get-out-the-vote work for both groups.

Tonner, president of Phase Line Strategies, said he sells voter data to Trailhead. The state party, he said, also paid Phase Line to write a get-out-the-vote plan for Jefferson County.

He called the coordination charge "wild." Alan Philp of Trailhead and CGGI called the charge false.

Philp and other Republicans point out that Democratic groups, such as Research and Democracy, have helped Democrats without disclosing donors.

Because CGGI is a nonprofit, it will not have to reveal finances until next spring, Philp said.

Jenny Flanagan of Colorado Common Cause said of CGGI, "If they're getting out the vote, that's an important service."