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Colorado Secretary of State Invalidates GOP Vacancy Pick Over Notice Violation

The ruling enforces Colorado’s 10-day mailed‑notice rule for vacancy panels, setting up a redo on Oct. 11.

Firearms instructor Ava Flanell, left, testifies before the state Senate's State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee as its members consider Senate Bill 3, a gun regulation bill, in the Old Supreme Court in the Colorado State Capitol in Denver on Jan. 28, 2025. The committee held a first vote on SB25-003, which would effectively enact a ban on a wide swap of weapons considered assault weapons. The bill is up for its first committee vote in the Capitol. The committee lasted well into the evening with proponents and opponents of the bill allowed to give their testimony to the members of the committee. SB3 is a new approach to limiting the sale of high-powered, semiautomatic firearms -- instead of outright banning specific types of weapons, it would ban weapons that accept a detachable magazine. That would cover many of the weapons we consider assault weapons. Given that the bill is sponsored by state Sen. Tom Sullivan, whose opposition to similar legislation in the past has sunk it, it's also very likely to pass the chamber and the legislature this year. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

Overview

  • State elections officials rejected the House District 14 nomination after the El Paso County GOP notified committee members on Sept. 15 and met on Sept. 22, falling short of the required 10 days’ mailed notice.
  • The Sept. 22 vote had selected Ava Flanell by a 28–26 margin to replace resigned Rep. Rose Pugliese, and Flanell says she will seek the seat again at the new meeting on Oct. 11.
  • The Department of State said the paperwork was insufficient but allowed the vacancy committee to resubmit after following proper procedures laid out in law.
  • Republican Joshua Griffin filed the complaint citing the shortened notice and lack of a livestream; party chair Ken Davis said the panel followed local bylaws and acknowledged the meeting was recorded but not livestreamed.
  • Local reporting indicates this appears to be the first rejection of a legislative vacancy nomination in Colorado, as the state’s recently enacted transparency reforms draw closer scrutiny to the process.