Donald Trump-backing Duval canvassing board judge steps down

Image via AP.

A judge empaneled on the Duval County Canvassing Board stepped down Thursday, amidst revelations that he was a serial donor to President Donald Trump.

The news was first broken by Andrew Pantazi of the Florida Times-Union, who has closely followed the story.

The local judge who headed a three-man vote-counting board in a north Florida county had signs supporting President Donald Trump in his front yard and had donated to the President’s 2020 re-election campaign, in possible violation of rules that require people in his job to refrain from showing political partisanship.

The Florida Times-Union reports that Senior County Judge Brent Shore in Duval County has donated $170 to the Trump campaign and given $178 in the last two years to the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Judicial rules bar judges from political donations of any kind, and canvassing board rules bar members from displaying a candidate’s campaign signs.

The state Division of Elections has said while campaign donations don’t count as active participation, displaying a candidate’s campaign signs would disqualify someone from serving on a canvassing board.

Judge Shore refused to comment to the Florida Times-Union. However, Shore’s wife contended that the signs were on what she said was “her side of the yard,” and questioned campaign finance records that showed her husband as a serial donor to Republicans and related causes.

Democrats plan a press conference later Thursday at the Duval County Supervisor of Elections Office, messaging on this and other issues related to election canvassing.

Pantazi notes that Shore is still a county judge and the canvassing board has no plans to redo any of its work.

This is a developing story and will be updated later Thursday afternoon.

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Material from the Associated Press was used in this post.