Wall Street Journal - Florida Deserves a Revote

Op-Ed

Wall Street Journal - Florida Deserves a Revote

We have been immersed for months in great debates about the economy, Iraq and health care. Now, with two outstanding Democratic candidates battling down to the wire for their party's presidential nomination, we face an issue fundamental in our democracy: the right to vote.

On Jan. 29, more than 3.6 million Floridians headed to the polls and cast ballots in the state's presidential Democratic and Republican primaries. But the rules of both national parties had reserved early presidential contests to a handful of states (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina).

As way of punishment for violating the rules, both parties took steps to diminish the role Florida plays in the selection process of their respective presidential candidates. The GOP has docked the state half of its allotted delegates to the national convention this summer. The Democratic Party has stripped Florida of all of its delegates -- 210 votes that now loom especially crucial in the race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for their party's nomination. Michigan also is being punished for holding its presidential contest earlier than the parties' rules allow.

In Florida, this punishment comes because the Republican-controlled state legislature moved the state's primary date to an early spot on the calendar. The thinking had been to give the large, diverse state -- one that is a microcosm of America -- more of a say in the nominee selection process. But Democratic Party bosses in Washington reacted harshly and refused to seat even half the delegates selected in January, as allowed by the party's rules.

In Michigan, all the Democratic candidates, except Mrs. Clinton, removed their names from the ballot. In Florida, they all remained on the ballot, but agreed not to campaign there. And because the candidates stayed away from my state, I remained neutral in the Democratic contest until the polls closed on primary day, when I endorsed Mrs. Clinton.

Long before that, however, I fought for party recognition of the scheduled primary. And to that end, in October, I sued the Democratic National Committee and its chairman, Howard Dean, in federal district court. In December, I lost the court fight, but I have continued to push for the party to seat Florida's delegates. My fight has been based on the simple premise that in America every citizen has an equal right to vote -- and to have that vote count.

Now, after last week's primaries in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont, it's evident that Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama will remain locked in a tight race for the nomination for some time to come, and perhaps all the way to the party's convention in August. And with that, every delegate is becoming critically important.

If the delegates from Florida's January vote aren't going to be seated, we're rapidly reaching a point when the state must schedule a new election. Unfortunately, that is not as easy as it sounds. Elections costs millions of dollars, and Florida is struggling with a tight budget in these tough economic times. I've asked that the national party pay for a revote, but so far Mr. Dean has declined. He suggested the state party could raise the funds.

Either way, it's imperative that the Democratic Party at both the national and state levels participate in finding a solution. Otherwise the Democratic Party unfortunately appears headed for a political train wreck that could involve a floor fight at the convention over recognizing Florida's delegates. That risks alienating a key battleground state in the run-up to the November elections.

With so much at stake, and the race so close, it's apparent to me that a new election in Florida is a fair way to provide both candidates with another chance to win needed delegates in a state that is certain to be pivotal in November.

And there is a practical and affordable way to conduct another election that would be fair to all involved, and should gain the support of state officials. It is this: Hold a revote via a mail-in ballot, and underwrite its cost with Democratic Party funds. I've already discussed the idea with Republican Gov. Charlie Crist and he is supportive.

A mail-in vote -- which Oregon has used successfully for years -- would be cheaper, less cumbersome and more inclusive than attempting at this late hour to stage a full-fledged return to the polls. It also would give voters enough time to take a closer look at the candidates, and further study their positions on the issues. A mail-in vote would also allow us to send ballots to military voters overseas.

But we must get started soon. Overseas ballots would have to go out by the third week in April. Voters in Florida would have to get their ballots the first part of May. And we would need to set early June deadlines for ballots to be returned and tallied.

Mail-in balloting, of course, poses some challenges, including matching the signature on each ballot with the signature on a voter's registration card.

But the bottom line is, one way or another, Florida's voice must be heard.

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