In Citrus County, County Commission candidate Jesse Rumson appeared to have qualified to run. The local newspaper, Citrus County Chronicle, published that he qualified.
- However, Rumson, who was set to face incumbent Holly Davis in the County Commission District 5 Republican Primary, neglected to check the yes or no line on the candidate oath regarding pending campaign fines. Candidates must check either the yes or no answer; leaving it blank is not an option.
Citrus County Supervisor of Elections Maureen “Mo” Baird discovered the error after the noon deadline on Friday, June 14. She notified Rumson Tuesday night that he would not be on the ballot.
Baird told Florida Politics: “It was an oversight on our part, but an error by the candidate. I’m the holder of the forms. I’m not responsible for making sure those forms are filled out correctly.”
Baird relied on a pair of Attorney General opinions that said mistakes caught on candidate qualifying forms must still be enforced even after the deadline has passed.
Florida Politics reported there was some confusion when Rumson first submitted his paperwork. He failed to sign the oath form before a notary and had to redo it. When he got the new form, Rumson failed to check the fines box. No one caught it.
Yesterday, Rumson said Wednesday he’s going to challenge Baird’s decision. He has already contacted Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office, an attorney and federal officials for help.
Rumson argued that he turned in his paperwork well before the June 14 qualifying deadline. Baird’s office had qualified him, and he was “state-certified” to be in the primary.
“Once I qualify, they can’t take me out,” Rumson told the Chronicle. “I’d like for her to just admit the error and reinstate me.”
Sound familiar?
Bruce Childers failed to turn in a complete Form 6. He was listed as qualified in the local newspaper. On the following Tuesday, it was discovered that he only submitted a photo of tablet screen showing the first page of Form 6. He was told that he did not meet the qualifications to run.
Bruce Childers is not a special snowflake.
More: Rumson is the second Citrus County candidate to see his campaign upended by a paperwork error. Tod Cloud’s candidacy for House District 23 ended when he failed to have his candidate oath notarized.
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