A tough part of the Secretary of State’s job is occasionally crushing the dreams of a candidate by telling him or her the campaign came up short in collecting enough signatures to make the ballot.

Democrat Michele Fry got the bad news last week.

The Denver state House candidate turned in her signatures on  the final day possible, waiting outside the Secretary of State’s office that April 4 with her mother and her brother two hours before the lobby even opened. Fry loved getting a tour of the conference room where the photographs of secretaries of state were lined up side by side. Her uncle, George Baker, was the last Democrat elected secretary of state. He served from 1949 to 1953 and 1955 to 1963.

Fry never dreamt then that she wouldn’t make the ballot to run in the June 28 primary.

The signatures for another House candidate, Democrat Naquetta Ricks of Aurora, weren’t counted because they were improperly collected.

Secretary Wayne Williams hopes this week to announce the status of at least two U.S. Senate candidates petitioning onto the ballot and candidates for other posts. The results for the other two Senate candidates are expected next week.

Fry sent a gracious message to supporters the day after learning she was no longer eligible to run for the office she had been campaigning for since 2015.

1000 valid signatures were needed,5,000 doors were knocked,926 signatures qualified;

I am proud to say, not one signature collected, or door knocked, was done by paid staff or paid canvassers.

My campaign was grassroots through and through. Powered by me, my family and many, many volunteers. My gratitude runs deep and I continue to be greatly humbled by the support I received over this last year.

I will not dwell on what could have been, but instead thank each and every one of you for the trust and confidence you placed in my candidacy.

Speak up, speak out loud, speak often.

To read more posts by Lynn Bartels, visit her official blog on the Colorado Secretary of State website.