Question about the Florida "re-vote".

[SoCalDem]

Assume that it will be summer before anything really gets "done".

The outcome could be really interesting and here's why..

from Florida's website:
__________________________________________
Book Closing/Registration Deadline.

In order to vote in an upcoming election, you must be registered before the registration books are closed for the respective election. The registration deadline for an election in Florida is 29 days before the election. If you are submitting a new registration application, your registration date will be the date that your completed application is postmarked or hand-delivered to the office of any Supervisor of Elections, the Division of Elections, a driver’s license office, a voter registration agency, or an armed forces recruitment office. If your application is complete and you are qualified as a voter, the Supervisor of Elections for your respective county of residence will send you a voter information card. This card will serve as official notification of your registration. If you do not receive your card within three weeks, or if you have any questions regarding your registration, please call your county Supervisor of Elections.
Dates Registration Closes for 2008 Election

* Presidential Preference Primary Election... December 31, 2007
* Primary Election ........................................... July 28, 2008
* General Election ........................................... October 6, 2008
______________________________________

There would have to be a new registration deadline set too.. I mean... Fair is Fair . If one is going to change ONE rule, the registration deadline for the NEW primary would have to be re-done too..

This would give MONTHS for a well-funded campaign to flood the state, registering voters..and by then the IMPORTANCE of every single vote would be self-evident, because they would know exactly how many votes were needed..


The additional upside to this would be that there could be MANY new voters all registered and ready for the General election

[Birthmark]

1. If it's such a great idea...

...why not do it in California first? Show us how it's down and how profitable it is.

We've already voted in FL. Thanks for the offer, but no thanks.

[SoCalDem]

2. Your governor & a dem senator you guys elected , well they want a do-over

and YES.. I would gladly have a Do-over in CA..with no early voting this time....youbetcha :hi:

[Birthmark]

3. Who says they want a do over?

They want the delegates seated. I'm surprised that the Republicans are more liberal on this issue than the Democrats.

I've been voting since 1976 and this is the first time someone told me my vote doesn't count. I take this very seriously. Either my vote counts, or the DNC had better have a back up plan for winning an election without FL.

[SoCalDem]

4. the republicans are NOt being "liberal" they are briar-patching Nelson

and all the people who want a do-over.

and in all seriousness:

Florida knew that the votes (if they chose to cast them) would not count..

When you take a practice test..and the teacher says it does not count.. you cannot then ask her to use those scores for your final exam..just because your score was pretty good......

Not count, means... not count..

for all the people who chose to go vote anyway, there were probably an equal/or greater amount who chose to follow the rules and not vote, since it did not count anyway.. THEY would be disenfranchised if a bunch of people who did not follow the rules got their votes counted..

It's a nasty deal all the way around..

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. Doesn't Matter

I shouldn't be disenfranchised because someone else fucked up... That's not how we roll in America... It's collective punishment that all right thinking folks should condemn... It would be no different than if a kid stole my lawn mower and I beat up his dad...

[DrDan]

11. I agree completely!

It is astounding to me the number of people on this site who are ok with a disenfranchisement of voters - completely contrary to Democratic ideals.

Should Dean have decided to ignore the votes of women or blacks or seniors, these same DUers would be standing in line in blind obedience to these wrongs.

Everone in the party should have a voice. We have it in the GE - the party may not care for the November results, or the declining contributions and support of their candidate.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

13. My Problem Is I Had Didn't Do Anything To Create This Problem

Why should i be punished?

[DrDan]

17. EXACTLY - I have been saying that on this forum for weeks and weeks

but there are too many here who blindly follow Dean and party to the exclusion and disenfranchisement of the FL and MI voters.

It was a stupid, irresponsible decision - and I hope he feels the pain. We have too many power-hungry leaders of this party - something we have railed against in the repubs for years - now we are headed down the same path.

[SoCalDem]

20. and I hate war, but MY tax money goes for war.. Life ain't fair

:(

[DemocratSinceBirth]

23. So The Folks Who Thought Gore Got Screwed Didn't Have A Legitimate Gripe?

~

[SoCalDem]

24. sure we did.. and see what happened with that?? Bush for 8 years

sometimes you just cannot "un do" an injustice, no matter how awful it is..

[DemocratSinceBirth]

27. In This Case There Is A Cure

Hold new primaries.

[SoCalDem]

29. I think this is where they are headed..

I sincerely wish you all luck.. and a democratic governor ..

I love Miami and had family there for many years..

I hate to see what has become of the Florida i remember & loved..from the 60's..:cry:

[DemocratSinceBirth]

30. I'm Not Being Melodramatic

I really want my vote to count...

I live in Orlando...Lived in Miami for a spell...Miami is very different than Orlando even though Orlando is no longer a "small town" ...And Miami is probably very different than you remember it...

[SoCalDem]

31. I'm sure it is..

we used to drive down there and the place where YOU probably live was all open then..

You could literally drive off the road and climb down to a secluded little beach area.. and slog through mangroves to find wonderful little inlets..and orange stands were still all over the place..

cheap but clean little Mom & Pop motels..right on the beach..

I remember staying in one place that was so damned NOISY,, I kept waking up all night.. ( we checked in about 11 PM..dead tired).. the NOISE I kept hearing all night was the OCEAN..right off the patio that was right outside the open door (no AC back then)..I remember my dad griping about how expensive the room was.. I think it was about $18.00 :rofl:

[jefferson_dem]

12. Turnout was impressive. But imagine how many well-intentioned citizens didn't vote because

they thought their votes wouldn't matter? There's no way that was a fair and honest election. Democracy has rules, and there are consequences for breaking them. We don't change the rules now because Hillary needs a boost.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

14. You Don't Punish Me Because Someone Else Fucked Up

How is that different than my analogy that I have the right to beat up my neighbor because his son stole my lawn mower?

How is that different than Bush* invading Iraq because Al Qaeda attacked us?

If the government and not the party was willy nilly disenfranching voters people here would pitch a fit...

I took my legally blind ninety year old mother to vote on what was a cold day for her... She has given much to this nation and deserved to have her vote count as did the other 1,700,000 Floridians...

What's the problem with a re-vote?

Are you afraid the results would be the same?

[MonkeyFunk]

32. 1.7 millionp people voted

there's no reason whatsoever to believe that a greater turnout would change the delegate allocation. In other words, there's no reason to believe that Obama supporters, for example, were less likely to vote than Clinton supporters.

1.7 million is a large enough sample to gauge the will of Florida democrats.

[DrDan]

10. I agree with Birthmark

As a Florida resident, why should I support the candidate of the national party? If I am not a part of that person's selection, then I feel no need to support that person.

I shall vote for a Democrat - but perhaps one of my choice rather than one of the party's.

The party can do without my voice in the primary, I am sure they will not miss it in the GE.

[Tesha]

16. Actually, you were told in 2000 that your vote didn't count.

And that was in an election that was a whole helluva lot
more important.

The date you were told, BTW, was December 12th, 2000.

Tesha

[DemocratSinceBirth]

18. That Was Painful

~

[Birthmark]

34. And that justifies the DNC disenfranchising us?

Doesn't seem likely to me.

[Tesha]

36. Not enough people complained back then.

And at least this time, you knew what the rules
were "going in"; your local party decided on the
strategery that they adopted.

Tesha

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. I Feel Ya

But I rather have a re-vote than my vote not counting at all...

[SoCalDem]

7. I would LOVE a re-vote in CA..

:evilgrin:.. and no early voting this time :)

[DemocratSinceBirth]

8. The Results Would Not Be Different

Why do you oppose early voting?

The easier you make it to vote the more people will vote...


If you want to make voting more difficult we can go back to the days of Jim Crow when we had poll taxes and literacy tests...


It's the Democratic party that wants to make voting easier...It's the Republicans who are always trying to make it more difficult with most of their efforts targeted at suppressing the minority vote...

[SoCalDem]

9. Many people early-voted out here a MONTH before Iowa

and they voted on name recognition:(

I think the results would have been waaaay different, but hey.. it's done... we followed the rules.. we shared the delegates.. life goes on.

[Capn Sunshine]

38. what kind of bullshit is THAT?

You HAVEN'T voted in Florida,and WE have. You've had a stacked popularity poll that means
NOTHING WITHOUT DNC SANCTION

Sorry amigo, if you break the rules in a partisan election, it's not disenfranchisement , it's a really skewed exercise in pointless politicking.

[Florida22ndDistrict]

15. You fail to see the downside.

Florida always has closed primaries with both parties voting on the same day. In the event of a new Democrat only primary, with McCain already crowned, you will see huge amounts of tactical voting occurring. All the republicans need is a 30 day warning that it's going to happen, and then they can re-egister to change their party affiliation. If you want the Republicans to pick the Democratic nominee that is how you do it. Florida had a proper election with all candidates on the ballot and a large turnout for a primary. Dean and the DNC need to suck up their pride and apologize for making the mistake and then honor the vote.

[SoCalDem]

19. you'll get no argument from me.. I think everyone knew the rules

and I don't think a re-vote is the answer.. I;m just saying.. be careful what you ask for..

Floridians got a bum deal, but they all knew (or should have known) that THE VOTES WOULD NOT COUNT..so people should not think that NOW , all of a sudden they SHOULD..

[DemocratSinceBirth]

21. That Unfortunately Will Never Happen

I want my fucking* vote to count regardless of the attendant problems...If my one vote can determine who is elected and who isn't I have the right for it to count unless I did something to disenfranchise myself.




*I apologize for the profanity in this instance but it's the only way to convey how strongly I feel...

[SoCalDem]

22. and there are people who did not vote BECAUSE IT WAS NOT GOING TO COUNT

who feel just like YOU do, because since the rules might get changed..THEY WANT A VOTE TOO..

You cannot cram a scrambled egg back into the shell and expect a chick..

[Florida22ndDistrict]

25. ...

The vote should count. The election was as legitimate as it could be, and the only thing that hindered it from being fully acceptable was the DNC placing the blame on citizens rather then the party officials that cause the problem.

1) Any responsible citizen should vote when a constitutional amendment is up for a vote. The constitutional amendment was widely talked about in newspapers and on local news.

2) All the candidates were on the ballot.

3) Double the normal turnout for a primary occurred.

4) Campaigning even though not in person happen in Florida through the Internet, on radio shows, in newspapers & magazines, and in 20 or so televised debates.

5) A re-vote would disenfranchise all of the candidates that were on the ballot by limiting the choices to the remaining two candidates.

6) A re-vote would be a huge waste of money

7) Tactical voting will be in full effect.

8) State representatives emailed many of their constituents telling the voters that their vote would count.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

26. More People Voted In The 08 Primary Than The 04 Primary

The only people who oppose a re-vote are those that fear the results of a new vote, want the old votes to count, or don't want the votes to count at all...

The right to vote is sacred...My old man took shrapnel in the eye and gut and ended up blind in that eye in North Africa during WW ll so our votes could count...

[Florida22ndDistrict]

28. re:

I will vote in a new election if it happens, but the fact is a good election occurred already and it should count. The DNC should suck up their pride and publicly apologize to the people of Florida for disenfranchising our citizens. If another election occurs I'm pretty sure it will swing more heavily in favor of Clinton due to the fact that Obama has constantly said our vote should not count, and due to tactical voting by republicans to drag this out as long as possible. Florida is a state that Clinton was going to win anyway, due to the large elderly population. I think the first vote represents the will of the people of Florida most accurately and that a re-vote will skew the real voice of the Florida electorate. I was not happy with how it turned out, but it is the voice of Florida and I respect the voice of my state.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

33. I Agree With You Except For One Thing

Florida is one of the most diverse states in the Union...Young, old, white, black, Latino, urban, rural, suburban, et cetera...

The only demographic that makes FL an outlier is folks over 65... It's 17% or so for FL as opposed to 12% for the nat'l average...It isn't as if everybody here is eighty years old...

[madfloridian]

35. No...if Hillary gets FL delegates as is....she will lose the general

We can not bear to see her on TV anymore...that smirk. She is hurting the party by demanding the rules be broken.

If I can not stand her on TV...how do you think I will feel in November.

I feel sick inside when I think this could have been a great year for us.

Now it is all about effing Hillary.

[redqueen]

37. Hello...

would you please help shed some light on this?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4929719&mesg_id=4930151

Will dem voters in FL really defect to the 'dark side' if the delegates aren't seated as is?