Civil litigator Dan Helm, 38, is running for Orange County Supervisor of Elections after years of volunteering with Democratic political campaigns and working on behalf of voter protections.

“I’m a rules guy, right? So, I love the way that people are following the true letter of the law like I am,” Helm said in an interview with VoxPopuli. “I know the rules, and I know the violations.”

This is his second go at a top elections administrator job. Four years ago, he ran unsuccessfully for elections supervisor in Pinellas County. The Orange County Supervisor of Elections job comes with an annual salary of $205,000.

Helm faces a crowded field that includes Orange County School Board member Karen Castor Dentel, former Orange County Democratic Party Chair Wes Hodge and realtor Sunshine Linda-Marie Grund.

But uncertainty surrounds the date of this race because Helm filed a lawsuit against independent candidate Cynthia Harris, accusing her of improperly paying her qualifying fee to run and then forging a document to cover it up.

A trial is set for Aug. 13, a week before the Aug. 20 primary. Chief Judge Lisa Munyon of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court will decide whether Harris should be removed from the ballot and the primary opened to all voters or if the entire race should be held Nov. 5.

Meanwhile, early voting will take place Aug. 5-18, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.  daily. Check our list for locations. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Aug. 8. Ballots must be received by the Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m. on Aug. 20.

“Cause of justice”

With his background in election law, politics and as an elections poll worker, Helm said he has “way more experience in this field” than the other candidates for the position, adding that it is a“cause of justice” that inspires him to pursue the post.

In 2018, he filed a lawsuit against the Supervisor of Elections office to prevent poll workers from quizzing voters about their address if they presented valid identification to vote. The Florida statute was changed in 2021 so that election workers could no longer ask. If there are questions about voter eligibility, voters are offered a provisional ballot. 

Helm also recalls working during the 2020 presidential election as a Sanford poll watcher in a precinct that is 85 percent Black. Two white law enforcement officers rolled up and flanked the door. Helm told VoxPopuli that he got a distinct voter intimidation vibe. He confronted the officers, informed them he was an attorney and got the officers to leave the premises. He worries the upcoming election will bring more incidents of voter intimidation.

“I have a two-year old, I have a pregnant wife, [and] being a candidate, it’s a full time job,” he said. “But it’s important that we have somebody with the knowledge and experience.”

“Political family”

Helm grew up in Pinellas County in a “fairly political family.” His father chaired the Pinellas County Democratic Party in 2006 and worked for the Department of Labor’s Office of the Solicitor in Washington, D.C. while his mother had a family law firm.

He worked as a field organizer for both of President Barack Obama’s campaigns in 2008 and 2012 and then as deputy regional director and treasurer for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential run. After getting his law degree from Emory University, he went to work for Voter Protection in Central Florida, as deputy regional director, training lawyers and volunteers in election law. His Florida Bar profile states he has a “private law practice.”

Voter connections

Helm has several key ideas for expanding voter outreach if elected. Key among them is petitioning the Orange County Board of County Commissioners for the funding to create an app to reach younger voters and keep them informed about elections, poll locations, voter registration. While the Supervisor of Elections site does that already and more, Helm maintains that an app “connects with the younger generation in a different way.”

“If we want to increase younger generation participation an app is an easy lift that uses technology that gives people information that they need and it’s not too expensive,” he said.

Helm also wants to increase the number of early voting sites —currently there are 22. With more than 1.4 million residents in the county, having so few early voting sites is akin to suppressing the vote, he said.

He also wants to increase awareness of provisional ballots. He said most voters don’t know that this type of ballot exists and poll workers typically don’t offer it to them, which results in voters being denied the opportunity to vote. Provisional ballots are counted after the voter submits proof of eligibility, within two days following Election Day.

Helm also believes the Supervisor of Elections office can create a “more robust poll worker recruitment program” and potentially save money in the process. Currently temp agencies provide that recruitment “and we’re CHARGED? a 30 percent premium on that, so that’s just 30 percent of added costs,” Helm said. “I think that there’s room to save money as well as increase pay.”

Maintaining election integrity

While the checks and balances surrounding elections are good, Helm said it’s still a good idea to improve the integrity of elections. To this end, Helm favors increasing the length of time ballots are stored.

When ballots are put through the voting machines, they are scanned and a digital image is retained. Helm told VoxPopuli that while paper ballots are stored for 22 months, digital images from the DS-300 tabulating machines are not. He wants to see digital images stored for the same time, longer if possible, to allow for future audits in disputed elections.

“I’d defend that the process is fair, it’s transparent, it’s accountable and there’s full audits on that,” Helm said.

[Ed. Note: This is a favorite conspiracy theory from the 2020 election. Since 1960, federal law has required that “all records and papers,” including ballots, be stored for a minimum of 22 months. Failure to maintain the records incurs the risk of a $1,000 fine and a year in jail. VoxPopuli confirmed with Supervisor of Elections spokesperson Christopher Heath that Orange County retains all digital ballot images for 22 months.]