A GOP House District 64 vacancy committee will meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13 to choose a replacement for Rep. Ryan Armagost, R-Berthoud. Armagost recently resigned to take a new job in Arizona.

Armagost’s resignation is effective Sept. 1. He was first elected in 2022, and in the 2025 session served as minority whip.

The vacancy committee will meet at the New Life Church in Berthoud. The meeting will be held in person only and will not be livestreamed.

HD64 chair and Weld County Commissioner Scott James said two people have formally announced their intent to seek the seat, and a third is interested.

Scott Slaugh of Johnstown is an Army veteran and owner of Fall River Homes. He has filed for the seat for the 2026 election.

Colleen Whitlow is the mayor of Mead and has a lengthy background in business and community volunteerism. She has also filed to run in the 2026 election.

The vacancy committee has 59 members, including James, his vice chair and secretary, and 56 precinct committee people.

Once the next representative for HD 64 is chosen, 23 lawmakers will have gained their seats at the beginning of their service through the vacancy process.

That’s just six fewer than the record set in 2024.

This will be the first vacancy to be filled under a law passed by the General Assembly in the 2025 session. That law goes into effect on August 7.

However, because Armagost is not resigning until Sept. 1, the new law doesn’t apply.

HB 1315 states that if a vacancy occurs before July 31 of an odd-numbered year, a vacancy committee would select a candidate who would serve only until the November odd-year election, when a vacancy election would be held.

According to the bill’s sponsors, the first time a vacancy election would be held in an odd-numbered year is not expected to occur until 2027. That election would be held in coordination with the district’s general election. However, only unaffiliated voters and voters from the political party of the vacant seat would be eligible to vote for that vacancy.