Consensus Nears For Mail-In Revote In Florida

AP via Los Angeles Times:

A consensus began to emerge today that the best way to give Florida's Democrats a voice in electing a candidate for president lies with the U.S. Postal Service.

The Democratic National Committee stripped Florida and Michigan of all their convention delegates -- a total of 313 -- for holding their primaries too early, making both contests meaningless. New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won both states, but no delegates. Her rival, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, did not appear on Michigan's ballot.

But the disqualification of Florida and Michigan has created a headache for the Democratic party due to the unexpected closeness of the race between Obama and Clinton. Officials from both states are trying to figure out how best to resolve the issue before the national convention in August.

DNC Chairman Howard Dean said a mail-in primary is "actually a very good process."

"Every voter gets a ballot in the mail," the former Vermont governor said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "It's comprehensive, you get to vote if you're in Iraq or in a nursing home. It's not a bad way to do this."

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Read the whole story: AP via Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Deni]

All of Oregon gets their ballots in the mail. You can either mail them back or drop them off at your polling place on election day.

As far as Florida and Michigan, they violated the Democratic party rules. Their votes shouldn't count. Just because the primary race is close doesn't change that.

[WLA]

That sounds good to me. If they insist they want the votes in FL and MI to count, this seems like a fair and probably economical way to do it.

[savertime]

The DNC should stand its ground. The decision was made last August not to seat the delegates if Michigan and Florida moved their primary dates. Concern for the disenfranchised voters should have been raised at that time. Changing the rules in the middle of the primaries, by reversing that decision, is unethical and self serving. and will create more problems for the DNC. But then, Clinton believed in her own inevitability and did not foresee the need for the delegates in question to secure the nomination. All of the outrage over this is coming from the republicans, who obviously want to run against Clinton, and Clinton supporters. How can you respect this disregard for playing by the rules, not to mention the ease with which commitments are abandoned. The Clintons lust for power trumps everything.

Does anyone really believe the republican governor of Florida is concerned about the democratic voters? And of course, Hillary was not concerned about the disenfranchised voters who took the DNC at its word and did not participate in the "beauty contest." She insisted that the delegates be seated based on the unsanctioned primary results.

[speakingtruth2power]

Oregonians seem pretty happy with their system of voting by mail.

I hope Florida model theirs after something that actually works well.

[missionimpossible]

Mail in votes may work. Grass roots organizations are critical if this happens. Edge: Obama.

[JoJoKewl]

Consensus from who??? Nobody asked me.

[DennyCrane]

Why don't we just do this for every primary? It would save a lot of money and be more convenient for people.

[MartinEdwinAndersen]

Memo to the Clintons:

Hsu you!!!

(As in Norman Hsu, the guy Bill Clinton referred to as "our friend Norman" and the fugitive fraudster arrested by the FBI.)

[RightBrain]

How did the Dems loses in 2000? Florida?

This time they do it to themselves.

[jkbowman]

I'll believe in this about as much as I believe in a Ron Paul poll.

[psfurlong356]

OK, so who does this favor, if anyone? I'm thinking since he didn't campaign in FL Obama's strong organizational system may not be effective.

[Bushgirlsgonewild]

.

Good - best to resolve the Florida mess at least and not let the republicans get away with their sabotage,

.

[SeekerOne]

What could go wrong in Florida?

[AnninCA]

I'll be interested to see what Clinton thinks of this.

At least I hear the words of compromise on the money from the DNC.

[ThinMan]

Doesn't this mail-in system sound like an invitation for massive fraud for anyone who might not want to leave this election up to the voters?