“Florida judge leading a vote-counting board donated to Trump 12 times, breaking judicial rules”

USA Today:

Florida judge who heads Duval County’s vote-counting board has donated repeatedly to President Trump’s re-election campaign and other Republican efforts, and his home is covered in signs supporting Trump, despite rules requiring judges like him refrain from donations or public support.

Duval County senior Judge Brent Shore has served as chairman of the canvassing board because of his role as a county judge.

Yet Florida judicial rules bar judges from political donations of any kind.

And canvassing board rules bar members from “displaying a candidate’s campaign signs.”

Senior county Judge Brent Shore, who has refused to change rules barring the public from photographing or videotaping vote-counting meetings, first donated $20 in 2016 to Donald Trump’s initial campaign for president. He has donated 11 more times since then to Trump for a total of $170, as well as donating $178 in the last two years to the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee….

Shore also may have violated the rules for canvassing board members. Canvassing boards, which right now have been counting mail ballots prior to Election Day, are three-person boards with a county commissioner, an elections supervisor and led by a county judge. They are banned from “actively participating” in campaigns or supporting candidacies.

The 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.

If Shore doesn’t resign, another Division of Elections opinion said, removing him from the board “might ultimately require judicial resolution” through a lawsuit.

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