Karl Etters

Democrat staff writer

Despite what a new round of campaign mailers say, State Rep. Alan Williams is not being endorsed by the Florida Democratic Party in his run for Leon County Supervisor of Elections.

The party is not endorsing Williams, D-Tallahassee, or his opponent Mark Earley in the non-partisan race, which has heated up in the weeks leading to Election Day.

The mailer comes amid accusations of wrongdoing and claims that the Supervisor of Elections office is being used to promote one candidate over the other.

Williams' adding the endorsement, the first in a list of four on the mailer, is misleading, Florida Democratic Party officials say.

Normally quiet supervisor of elections race heats up

After learning of the mailer Thursday, Florida Democratic Party Chair Allison Tant sent an email to all Leon County precinct captains.

“I am frankly very disappointed by this and find myself in a very uncomfortable position as chair of the state party who would appear to be in violation of the party's own rules with this mail piece,” Tant wrote. “Please help me set the record straight in the days ahead, that this mail piece is inaccurate in stating such an endorsement.”

The state and local parties are not allowed to endorse one Democratic candidate over another, according to governing bylaws. In an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat, Tant said no one approached her or other party officials about an endorsement in the race.

State statutes require candidates to have approval for support or an endorsement specifically in writing.

Williams said the endorsement being included in the mailer stemmed from an “oversight” by a staffer.

A Florida Democratic Party slate has been circulating in Leon County listing 16 Democrats, including presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who are on the ballot this year. The disclaimer lists only three candidates who appear on the slate as holding endorsements from the state party.

Both Williams and Earley appear. The staffer took that to mean each person on the slate had been endorsed, Williams said.

“The staffer took that interpretation to mean that we were both able to use that in the manner we did,” Williams said. “It lends itself to everyone on that as an endorsed. It was an oversight and we have corrected it.”

Williams said he has spoken with party officials about the mailer, which went out to 1,000 voters, and has removed any reference in future campaign materials.

Williams said he is focusing on the final push toward Election Day.

“We’re focused on talking with as many voters and citizens as possible," he said. "We believe that the office of Supervisor of Elections should be and will continue to be non-partisan under my leadership."

In an email to local supporters, Leon County Democratic Party representative David Jacobsen, who has contributed to Earley's campaign, condemned Williams’ claim.

“You may have received a flyer in the mail from Alan Williams where he claims that he is endorsed by the Florida Democratic Party for Leon County Supervisor Elections,” the email says. “That is not true. It is a totally false claim. Rep Williams and Mark Earley are both Democrats and neither is endorsed by the Florida Democratic Party or the Leon County Democratic Party.”

The mailer comes on the heels of rancor among Williams’ supports regarding a photo of Earley included in the 2016 elections guide compiled by the Supervisor of Elections office.

The page 11 photo features Earley, who is being endorsed by retiring Supervisor of Elections Ion Sancho, unloading water and other supplies following Hurricane Hermine.

The guide includes a sample ballot with 66 candidates on it and various voter information.

Williams said in a statement the photo was a calculated misuse of the office's resources.

“This was not an accident. It is not a coincidence,” Williams said. “It is a terribly cynical misuse of public resources to boost a single candidate with preferential treatment. And it is certain that both Mr. Sancho and Mark Earley were involved in this blatant breach of their public trust.”

The guide costs $91,000 to produce; $41,000 of that is postage for it to be sent to the more than 200,000 voters in Leon County.

Assistant Supervisor of Elections Chris Moore is responsible for the voter guide — Sancho writes a one-page letter on the inside cover — and said the photo's inclusion was not politically motivated. Earley was one of several who volunteered to help supplies after the storm, he said. It was something done as a staff to help the community. The photo identifies Earley as an SOE staff member in a caption.

“I don’t regret the decision,” Moore said. “I see it as reflecting our staff’s activity after the hurricane. If this is a big issue we’ll think about that next time but for now it hasn’t been.

"I know there are some people who view the world a with a political lens. I can’t change the viewpoints of others."

Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter.