diff --git a/spiffworkflow-backend/src/spiffworkflow_backend/config/__init__.py b/spiffworkflow-backend/src/spiffworkflow_backend/config/__init__.py
index 55c958977..224791108 100644
--- a/spiffworkflow-backend/src/spiffworkflow_backend/config/__init__.py
+++ b/spiffworkflow-backend/src/spiffworkflow_backend/config/__init__.py
@@ -40,7 +40,8 @@ def setup_database_configs(app: Flask) -> None:
     if pool_size is not None:
         pool_size = int(pool_size)
     else:
-        # this one doesn't come from app config and isn't documented in default.py because we don't want to give people the impression
+        # this one doesn't come from app config and isn't documented in default.py
+        # because we don't want to give people the impression
         # that setting it in flask python configs will work. on the contrary, it's used by a bash
         # script that starts the backend, so it can only be set in the environment.
         threads_per_worker_config = os.environ.get("SPIFFWORKFLOW_BACKEND_THREADS_PER_WORKER")
@@ -50,8 +51,9 @@ def setup_database_configs(app: Flask) -> None:
             # this is a sqlalchemy default, if we don't have any better ideas
             pool_size = 5
 
-    app.config['SQLALCHEMY_ENGINE_OPTIONS'] = {}
-    app.config['SQLALCHEMY_ENGINE_OPTIONS']['pool_size'] = pool_size
+    app.config["SQLALCHEMY_ENGINE_OPTIONS"] = {}
+    app.config["SQLALCHEMY_ENGINE_OPTIONS"]["pool_size"] = pool_size
+
 
 def load_config_file(app: Flask, env_config_module: str) -> None:
     """Load_config_file."""
diff --git a/spiffworkflow-frontend/src/routes/TaskShow.tsx b/spiffworkflow-frontend/src/routes/TaskShow.tsx
index a74aa829b..5a422e5fa 100644
--- a/spiffworkflow-frontend/src/routes/TaskShow.tsx
+++ b/spiffworkflow-frontend/src/routes/TaskShow.tsx
@@ -94,6 +94,9 @@ export default function TaskShow() {
   const params = useParams();
   const navigate = useNavigate();
   const [disabled, setDisabled] = useState(false);
+  const [noValidate, setNoValidate] = useState<boolean>(false);
+
+  const [taskData, setTaskData] = useState<any>(null);
 
   const { addError, removeError } = useAPIError();
 
@@ -108,6 +111,7 @@ export default function TaskShow() {
   useEffect(() => {
     const processResult = (result: Task) => {
       setTask(result);
+      setTaskData(result.data);
       setDisabled(false);
       if (!result.can_complete) {
         navigateToInterstitial(result);
@@ -160,22 +164,30 @@ export default function TaskShow() {
     }
   };
 
-  const handleFormSubmit = (formObject: any, event: any) => {
+  const handleFormSubmit = (formObject: any, _event: any) => {
     if (disabled) {
       return;
     }
+
     const dataToSubmit = formObject?.formData;
     if (!dataToSubmit) {
       navigate(`/tasks`);
       return;
     }
     let queryParams = '';
-    if (event && event.submitter.id === 'close-button') {
+
+    // if validations are turned off then save as draft
+    if (noValidate) {
       queryParams = '?save_as_draft=true';
     }
     setDisabled(true);
     removeError();
     delete dataToSubmit.isManualTask;
+
+    // NOTE: rjsf sets blanks values to undefined and JSON.stringify removes keys with undefined values
+    // so there is no way to clear out a field that previously had a value.
+    // To resolve this, we could potentially go through the object that we are posting (either in here or in
+    // HttpService) and translate all undefined values to null.
     HttpService.makeCallToBackend({
       path: `/tasks/${params.process_instance_id}/${params.task_id}${queryParams}`,
       successCallback: processSubmitResult,
@@ -290,17 +302,27 @@ export default function TaskShow() {
     return errors;
   };
 
+  // This turns off validations and then dispatches the click event after
+  // waiting a second to give the state time to update.
+  // This is to allow saving the form without validations causing issues.
+  const handleSaveAndCloseButton = () => {
+    setNoValidate(true);
+    setTimeout(() => {
+      (document.getElementById('our-very-own-form') as any).dispatchEvent(
+        new Event('submit', { cancelable: true, bubbles: true })
+      );
+    }, 1000);
+  };
+
   const formElement = () => {
     if (!task) {
       return null;
     }
 
     let formUiSchema;
-    let taskData = task.data;
     let jsonSchema = task.form_schema;
     let reactFragmentToHideSubmitButton = null;
     if (task.typename === 'ManualTask') {
-      taskData = {};
       jsonSchema = {
         type: 'object',
         required: [],
@@ -341,7 +363,7 @@ export default function TaskShow() {
         closeButton = (
           <Button
             id="close-button"
-            type="submit"
+            onClick={handleSaveAndCloseButton}
             disabled={disabled}
             kind="secondary"
             title="Save changes without submitting."
@@ -381,14 +403,17 @@ export default function TaskShow() {
       <Grid fullWidth condensed>
         <Column sm={4} md={5} lg={8}>
           <Form
+            id="our-very-own-form"
             disabled={disabled}
             formData={taskData}
+            onChange={(obj: any) => setTaskData(obj.formData)}
             onSubmit={handleFormSubmit}
             schema={jsonSchema}
             uiSchema={formUiSchema}
             widgets={widgets}
             validator={validator}
             customValidate={customValidate}
+            noValidate={noValidate}
             omitExtraData
           >
             {reactFragmentToHideSubmitButton}
diff --git a/spiffworkflow-frontend/src/services/HttpService.ts b/spiffworkflow-frontend/src/services/HttpService.ts
index 83d71af8c..4dffa1544 100644
--- a/spiffworkflow-frontend/src/services/HttpService.ts
+++ b/spiffworkflow-frontend/src/services/HttpService.ts
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ backendCallProps) => {
     Object.assign(httpArgs, { body: postBody });
   } else if (typeof postBody === 'object') {
     if (!objectIsEmpty(postBody)) {
+      // NOTE: stringify strips out keys with value undefined
       Object.assign(httpArgs, { body: JSON.stringify(postBody) });
       Object.assign(headers, { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' });
     }