Orange elections supervisor race, already upended by litigation, triggers another lawsuit

A disqualified candidate for Orange County elections supervisor is suing the political rival who got her removed from the ballot, asking a judge to toss him from the race, too.

The lawsuit is the latest development in a contest that has already been upended by litigation.

Cynthia Harris is suing Dan Helm, a Democrat in the race, and accusing him of not properly filling out the paperwork to shorten his legal name “Daniel” to “Dan” on the ballot.

Helm successfully got Harris, a no-party candidate, removed from the ballot through litigation earlier this month. Judge Lisa Munyon agreed with Helm and tossed Harris from the race for not properly paying her qualification fee.

That ruling shut down the Aug. 20 Democratic primary for elections chief and made the contest open to all voters in November.

But now Harris wants Helm tossed from that November ballot . She said she also intends to appeal the ruling removing her from the race.

“Daniel Charles Halley Helm is a Florida Bar attorney and should have known whether his own qualification forms were accurate,” Harris said in a prepared statement. “It is very clear the integrity of the election code has been compromised.”

But Helm, an Orlando attorney, said he met all of the requirements and will defend himself against what he called a “baseless” lawsuit.

“It seems like a spiteful lawsuit,” Helm said. “I understand she is probably upset with me. This was never personal for me. It was about the rule of law.”

Orange County judge blows up election supervisor race, kicking contest to November

In the lawsuit filed three days after she was disqualified, Harris said Helm did not submit an “affidavit of nickname,” but Helm said the form wasn’t required because he is using a widely used shortened form of his legal name.

Even if the process wasn’t followed properly, the judicial remedy would be to change the name on the ballot rather than disqualification, Helm said.

Munyon’s bombshell ruling Aug. 16 removing Harris from the contest dramatically changed the race’s political dynamics because the Democratic field will now need to court Republican and independent voters.

The ruling halted voting in the August Democratic primary — though votes had already been cast at early voting locations and by mail before Election Day — and moved the contest to the Nov. 5 general election.

No Republican filed to run for the county’s top election job. So with Harris removed, all voters will get to choose from among the four Democrats in the race. The candidates are Helm, Orange County School Board member Karen Castor Dentel, former Orange County Democratic chairman Wes Hodge and real estate broker Sunshine Linda-Marie Grund.

The winner will replace Glen Gilzean, a Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis named to temporarily fill the post after longtime Democratic supervisor Bill Cowles’ retirement in January.

Gilzean is also named in Harris’ lawsuit. A spokesman said the elections office is aware of the suit and will respond through the legal process.

A court hearing in Harris’ lawsuit has been set for Sept. 12.