CRESTVIEW — The race for the District 1 seat on the Okaloosa County School Board has been halted after election officials determined that neither candidate successfully qualified for the August primary ballot.
According to a June 17 statement from Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections Paul Lux, both candidates who filed for the District 1 race submitted qualifying packets that failed to meet all requirements outlined in Florida law.
The deficiencies were not identified until after the close of the qualifying period last week, despite the qualifying packets having been reviewed by the Supervisor of Elections Office.
Florida Statute 99.061(7)(a) requires candidates to submit five specific items to qualify for office. Election officials said neither candidate completed all required steps before the qualifying deadline expired.
“This does not reflect the standard of service our candidates have come to expect from my office,” Lux said in a statement. “While it is regrettable that this occurred, the relevant law is clear and had to be upheld.”
Lux said he personally contacted both candidates to apologize and accepted responsibility for the oversight.
“I have personally apologized to both candidates, and take full responsibility for the oversight,” Lux said. “We are making our review process more robust to ensure such deficiencies are noted as early as possible so that candidates can be timely notified in the future.”
Because no candidates successfully qualified for the District 1 race, the seat cannot appear on the August primary ballot. Instead, a special election will be required to fill the position.
The date of that election has not yet been determined.
Lux said his office has already contacted the Florida Secretary of State’s Office in hopes of scheduling the special election as quickly as possible.
The development affects only the District 1 School Board race. School Board Districts 3 and 5 will remain on the August primary ballot as scheduled and will be voted on countywide.
Lux said the Supervisor of Elections Office remains committed to maintaining election integrity and compliance with Florida election law despite the unusual circumstances.
“The Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections Office remains committed to ensuring the integrity of elections and maintaining compliance with the election laws of Florida,” Lux said.
Additional information about the special election is expected once state officials determine the election timeline.
