Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold has rejected the nominating paperwork for the vacancy in House District 14.

On Sept. 22, a Republican vacancy committee met to choose a replacement for former Rep. Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs.

The issue, according to Griswold’s office, is the notice to inform the vacancy committee about the meeting. State law requires at least 10 days between the notice and the vacancy meeting.

Because the nominating process did not follow timelines established in statute, the paperwork has been deemed insufficient, the Secretary of State’s office said. The vacancy committee may resubmit nominating paperwork after following the proper procedures laid out in Colorado law.

That means a do-over in HD 14.

On Sept. 22, the HD 14 selection committee chose firearms instructor Ava Flanell as one of three candidates who applied for the position. She defeated candidate Joe Woyte on the second ballot. However, she has not yet been sworn in.

Flanell filed candidacy paperwork for the HD 14 seat for the 2026 election on Sept. 24.

Pugliese resigned on Sept. 15. 

El Paso County GOP Chair Kendrick Davis told Colorado Politics on Sept. 23 he “personally sent out the call last Monday morning (Sept. 15). It needed to go out at least 6 days before the actual meeting.”

The HD 14 vacancy committee has just two weeks to send out a 10-day notice and meet again.

In an email to the HD 14 committee, Caleb Thornton, the legal, policy and rulemaking manager for the Secretary of State’s office, pointed out that the deadline for filling the seat is 30 days after the resignation.

That’s Oct. 15. Should the vacancy committee fail to complete the process by that date, the governor makes the choice about who fills the seat, which most recently happened in September 2022.

But the committee is already on notice for a new election. Davis told Colorado Politics Tuesday the call has already gone out and the committee will meet on Oct. 11.

Lawmakers during the 2025 session amended the process for filling vacancies in the state House and Senate. 

Since the start of the 2024 session, 28 lawmakers out of 100 had gained their initial seats through a vacancy committee process. In one vacancy, only four committee members chose the next lawmaker.

The number is only slightly less than the 2025 General Assembly. With Pugliese’s resignation, 24 lawmakers have gained their first seats in the legislature through the vacancy process.

The change in law on vacancies, however, did not reduce the number of days required for the notice. One bill sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Luck, R-Penrose, during the 2025 session suggested cutting the number of days from 10 to six, but it failed to win committee approval.

The Secretary of State’s office, in their notice to the HD 14 vacancy committee, pointed out that the committee notified members on Sept. 15 and nominated candidates on Sept. 22, which is fewer than the 10 days following the resignation of the former House Minority Leader — “and thus failed to comply with the law.”

As first reported by Colorado Politics, Pugliese resigned on Sept. 14, a resignation that went into effect on Sept. 15. She cited a “toxic” environment in the House, which escalated during the August special session in a war of words with House Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, tied to a resolution condemning the actions of former Rep. Ryan Armagost, R-Berthoud.