TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The state's top elections official abruptly resigned Thursday after a Tallahassee newspaper obtained photos of him wearing blackface and dressed as a Hurricane Katrina victim.
Secretary of State Michael Ertel announced his resignation Thursday. He had only been in office for a few weeks after serving as Seminole County's supervisor of elections.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, the photos were taken at a Halloween party in 2005, when Ertel dressed in blackface as a Hurricane Katrina victim, the newspaper said.
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WFTV Channel 9 has not independently confirmed the source or authenticity of the photos, but obtained permission from the Tallahassee Democrat to report this story.
Florida Secretary of State Mike Ertel blackface photos: Social media reacts https://t.co/GuwuIYeTIb
— Tallahassee Democrat (@TDOnline) January 24, 2019
Mike Ertel resigns as Florida’s Secretary of State, after photos surface showing him in blackface in 2005 pic.twitter.com/k3Zbc6DTM0
— Christopher Heath (@CHeathWFTV) January 24, 2019
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