Democrats kick around mail revote

Do-over Democratic primaries in Florida and Michigan drew new interest Sunday as party officials struggled to find a solution to a crisis that has taken on greater significance in the tight race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

“This is a big -- bigger issue than Florida and Michigan,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said on ABC’s “This Week,” warning that a solution is needed to unite the party behind the Democratic presidential nominee -- whether it’s Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York or Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois -- against the presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona. “The only thing that can beat us is that we’re divided.”

To punish Florida and Michigan for violating party rules by moving their primary dates to January, ahead of the party’s set schedule, the Democratic National Committee stripped the two states of their delegates to the party’s nominating convention in August. But as the race between Clinton and Obama has tightened, Democrats from both states have stepped up efforts to ensure that the voters of Florida and Michigan -- key states if Democrats hope to win the White House -- get a role in choosing the Democratic nominee.

As of Sunday night, the Associated Press’ count had Obama with 1,578 delegates and Clinton with 1,468. The nominee needs at least 2,025 delegates. Before the party punished the two states, Florida was to have 210 convention delegates and Michigan 156.

On Sunday, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) advanced the idea of another election, this time by mail. If party officials refuse to seat his state’s delegates, he told CBS’ “Face the Nation,” “the only thing I know to do is to do it over.”

But Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said that the state had never conducted a mail-in vote -- and that an election as important as this one was not the time to experiment.

“We had 1.75 million Democratic voters cast ballots on Jan. 29,” she said on “Fox News Sunday.” “It was a record turnout. And the likelihood of getting that many people to mail a ballot back in is very small.”

The difference of opinion over the vote-by-mail idea underscores the dilemma facing Democrats.

Party leaders must find a solution that satisfies both the Clinton and Obama camps. Clinton got the most votes in the Florida and Michigan primaries, but Obama’s name was not on the Michigan ballot, and both candidates agreed not to campaign in either state.

“Everybody, including me and, I think, both candidates, wants to find a way to seat Florida and Michigan,” Dean said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “But it has to be done in such a way that you don’t change the rules in the middle of the game.”

Party officials are racing the clock to come up with a solution and, if they choose to hold another election, must figure out a way to pay for it. They plan to hold more discussions this week.

Though the idea of a mail-in election also is being explored in Michigan, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) saw problems. “Not just cost, but the security issue,” he said on “This Week.”

He added, “If there is a practical way to do it which people feel is secure and fair, I believe a couple of million dollars could be raised” to pay for it.

Though the states can appeal to a credentials committee at the convention to have their delegates seated, Dean told CBS, “I think it’s very unlikely that Florida and Michigan, given how close this race is, are going to be seated as is.

“But everybody’s going to work very hard to find a compromise within the rules that’s fair to both campaigns that will allow Florida and Michigan, in the end, to be seated.”

He added that the national party would not pay for a do-over. “Right now, our job is to . . . convince the American people that our nominee is better than Sen. McCain. And that’s what we’re going to be using our resources for.” State parties might pay.

Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-Fla.), a leader in the effort to settle the Florida and Michigan disputes, is open to the idea of another election, perhaps by mail.

“I still don’t know how we can tell 1.7 million Democrats that Jan. 29 was just a dry run,” Hastings said.

“Look, if we can find the money and the voters want it, then I’m open to being convinced that this is the best course of action.”

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richard.simon@latimes.com