Judge removes independent candidate from Orange County election ballot

ORLANDO, Florida. – The Democratic primary for Orange County elections supervisor is officially postponed until November after a judge disqualified the independent candidate from the ballot on Friday.

District Judge Lisa Munyon ruled that Cynthia Harris, the NPA candidate certified for the June ballot, had paid the registration fee from a bank account that was not designated as a campaign account, thereby violating election law.

Munyon then ordered current Orange County Elections Supervisor Glen Gilzean to remove Harris’ name from the November ballot.

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“We know this result is harsh. But section 99.061(7) is clear, and it is not our job to rewrite a law to save a party in this situation. We must enforce the law as it is written,” Munyon wrote.

Munyon also agreed with Gilzean that the county election office should only exercise a “ministerial function” when it comes to the qualification of candidates.

“It is the duty of candidates to know and follow the rules,” Gilzean said in a statement to News 6 on Friday. “We will conduct the November election under the guidance of the court and the state.”

Harris was the only candidate qualified for the race for election supervisor who was not a Democrat. Four candidates were scheduled to compete in a primary on Tuesday, August 20.

If Harris had not been allowed to run, the Democratic primary would have been open to all voters as a general primary.

But voting for this primary has already begun. The county elections office began sending out mail-in ballots in July, and early voting began earlier this month.

To ensure that no voter loses their right to vote, the elections office announced that the Democratic primary will now be postponed until the general election in November, in accordance with state regulations.

Any votes already cast in the race will not be counted. All voters will have one more chance to vote in the race.

Gilzean’s office said it is printing information explaining the situation to voters and will be available at all polling stations.