Primary Redo Up to DNC and Democratic Presidential Candidates
March 13th, 2008 by flanewsFlorida’s a few steps closer to hosting a mail in Democratic primary. But it is not a done deal. The State party’s chairwoman has released details but says a decision won’t be final until Monday. As Whitney Ray tells us, the party leadership is not optimistic the mail in will take place.
Hear it here: Primary Redo Up to DNC and Democratic Presidential Candidates
Senate Democratic leader Steve Geller took the democrats plan to the Governor’s office. With a hand shake, Governor Charlie Crist told Geller he would do what he could to grant the Democratic Party access to a state database to verify voter signatures.
“If you can find a way to make that plan work, certainly someone can be designated to help,” Crist said to Geller in a meeting in his office.
Democrats say signature verification is the key to a valid election. The clock is ticking. Right now the Democratic National Committee won’t seat Florida’s delegates because the state moved up its primary. Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman sent this proposal to both candidates and DNC Chairman Howard Dean. It lays out a plan for a Florida Do-over. Thurman avoided the media for more than a week. She broke her silence in a Thursday afternoon news conference, telling reporters the two presidential candidates must sign off on the plan.
“If this is not what the people of Florida and our candidates want, we’re not going to do it,” Thurman said.
The state party is less than optimistic the candidates or national party will sign off on the mail in do over. Thurman says putting the plan forward is a starting place
“What we’re doing here today is just putting the things out there. What ever people’s decisions are and if this becomes something we can’t do then we can’t do it,” Thurman said.
The cost of a mail in redo was first estimated at 6 million. It is now up to between 10 and 12 million dollars and state party leaders don’t know yet who will pony up the money. Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman says, if the DNC and the candidates don’t like the mail in election plan, the party will continue to ask that the candidates be seated based on the January 29th results.
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