Thoughts on a mail-in election

Let's just say there wasn't an immediate buy-in to House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber's proposal  to resolve the Democratic nomination with a mail-in election in Florida, in which both Democrats and independents could participate.

Beth Reinhard's column on the proposal is here. Among the reactions from campaigns and party leaders:

Dan McLaughlin, spokesman for Sen. Bill Nelson, who has endorsed Hillary Clinton: "Sen. Nelson has said no do-overs. No need. No reason. A record number of Florida voters went to the polls Jan. 29 and cast their ballots. (DNC Chairman) Howard Dean created a mess that he's got to fix.''

David Goldenberg, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, who with Nelson unsuccessfully sued the national party when it took away Florida's delegates: "The issue is that you've got 1.7 million Democrats who voted in the state of Florida. How do you go to those people and tell them we're doing a do-over and we're going to let people who didn't show up the first time participate?''

Clinton spokesman Mo Elleithee: "We believe that the people of Florida have already voted, and their voices should be heard."

Obama fundraiser Kirk Wagar: "I would love that all the mocking by all the Republicans would go away if we were to incorporate independents into the process. It's not a re-vote or a caucus, it's a completely new idea and what makes it new is the inclusion of the independents.''

Erin Van Sickle, spokeswoman for the Republican Party of Florida: "Dan Gelber may try to do an about-face on this issue, but even he can't deny the facts: The Democrats sponsored the bill to move the primary up. They voted for it unanimously. Now they want to disenfranchise 1.7 million Democrat voters? That's not only a 'hard pill to swallow,' it's a fatal one.''

Comments

[Cindy Lerner]

My dear friend Dan Gelber,

I am responding as a State Committeewoman and the Chair of the FDP Campaign Committee. A Vote by mail campaign in Florida would cost about $4 -6 million to run, and there is no one on this green earth who would spend those dollars, when we had a valid, legal and record breaking voter turnout in the January 29th primary. We would never disenfranchise those 1.7 million voters who listened to the FDP, and numerous other organizations urging them to go out to vote for their preferred candidate on January 29th.

But even more important, there are no do-overs in elections, and certainly will never be one on the FL primary for the following reasons:
1. The FDP spent months assuring the Democrats in Florida that the January 29th primary was an important election that everyone needed to participate in. There were numerous e-mail efforts to get the word out, major media interviews of Karen Thurman, and discussions at the State Democratic convention in October to encourage all democrats to go vote.

2. There was significant grassroots campaigning going on all over the state on behalf of all the major Presidential candidates. In addition, there was ample opportunity to learn about every candidate by watching televised debates, reading newspapers and participating in online campaign activities. In fact one candidate even violated the pledge by airing national commercials throughout Florida for a week before the primary.

3. We assured the democrats that the delegates would eventually be seated and the process of selecting delegates is now in place.It is up to the DNC Rules committee and Howard Dean to return 1/2 of our delegates to us immediately, at a minimum.

4. The 1.7 million people who voted in record setting turnout for Florida Democrats attests to the understanding that their voices were being heard. We pushed a count every vote campaign and that campaign continues, only now it includes the important message, count every state.

If the DNC really wants to take back the presidency in November, then Howard Dean will figure out a way to reinstate Florida's delegates. His Rules committee violated its own rules by imposing a sanction beyond the allowable sanctions, when they attempted to take away 100 % of our delegates, when their own rules only provide for a sanction of half the delegates, and he has done nothing to rectify the violation of their own rules.


The Point is Every vote counts, and Every State counts, Florida must count


Cindy Lerner
State Committeewoman, Miami-Dade County
Chair, FDP Campaign Committee

Let's just face it...Florida and Michigan don't count and neither should...what about rules?

[MIke]

Florida will count and for those who want a do-over and are not standing up for the voters...you will have a problems with YOUR re-election campaigns. We will do those over and choose other candidates....who know how to count, know that Floridians should count and at this point those that don't stand up for us do not count to any voter in Florida

[MIke]

Florida will count and for those who want a do-over and are not standing up for the voters...you will have a problems with YOUR re-election campaigns. We will do those over and choose other candidates....who know how to count, know that Floridians should count and at this point those that don't stand up for us do not count to any voter in Florida

[Jo Anne Bander]

I am responding to your column about Florida votes counting and the
Gelber proposal from the perspective of someone who was on South Beach in
the early morning hours of election-day 2000 when Al Gore told the assembled
throng that the election results "are all up to you in Florida". How
unfortunately right he was.

It now appears that history might be repeating itself. Florida voters are
once again disenfranchised but anyone who suggests an additional election of
any type does disservice. Firstly, it is important to separate Florida and
Michigan. They are different and the elections in each were different.

Florida held a real election even if the candidates did not actively
campaign and there were no paid ads other than the Obama ads that crossed
the media line from Georgia. Every major candidate was on the ballot; the
media ran countless articles and gave hours of broadcast time to the
primary; there were newspaper endorsements; and, most importantly, over
1.725 million Democrats voted in a state where independents could not cross
over. The Florida Democratic vote was exceeded only by California and
almost even with New York with their active campaigns. And people are suggesting that almost two million Democrats have votes that should be disregarded and there should be
a re-vote instead?

The DNC is a self-governing body and can find a way to change what was a
ridiculous response to Florida's decision to have its presidential primaries
ahead of February 5th. Out of respect to the record number of individuals
who voted, we should all be encouraging the DNC to do so and to count our votes now.

[Davd W. Singer]

Yes there was a vote on Jan.29,but it was a vote,without campaigning and a vote in which we were told that it might not count.

At this time,there is no need for finger pointing between the National Party and the Florida Party.We have the closest Presidential Primary in anyone's memory.So,we Dems have a choice:either be the state that picks the Nominee or sitout the balloting part of the Convention and maybe be seated the last day by the Nominee.

To me,we must go foward and we must do so without our jugement clouded by our zeal for a particular candidate.Yes,if you are for Clinton,you want to count the Jan. 29th vote. If you are for Obama,you don't want the vote to count.Probably neither camp wants a do-over vote or caucus. That is how we know that doing it is probably the fairest solution to end the quagmire.What does Florida get by doing it-only the right to pick the Nominee,with the whole world watching and that's not too bad.

[Paul Stanford]

and for anyone (still) unsure of where Cindy's alliances are:
http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/cindy-lerner.asp?cycle=08