Politics

Democrats respond to Florida suit

By WES ALLISON, Times Staff Writer
Published October 31, 2007

WASHINGTON - Florida Democrats are to blame for sidelining themselves in the race to choose a presidential nominee, and the Democratic National Committee has wide latitude to set primary rules as it sees fit.

That's the DNC's legal response, filed Tuesday in federal court in Tallahassee, to a lawsuit from Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar, filed over Florida's lost delegates to the 2008 primaries. The suit contends the national party's decision to strip Florida of its 210 delegates to the nominating convention unfairly disenfranchises Democratic voters, particularly minorities.

The DNC yanked Florida's delegates this summer after the Republican-led state Legislature moved the state's primary to Jan. 29, a week earlier than allowed under party rules. Without having delegates to distribute to winning candidates, Florida's Democratic primary election officially means nothing.

Nelson and Hastings sued on grounds that rendering the primary moot violates the Voting Rights Act and other laws. In its response, the DNC notes that the courts have given the national political parties wide latitude to set their rules for choosing candidates, even when taxpayers pay for the primaries.

The DNC also noted that it tried to help Florida Democrats comply with the primary rules by organizing an alternative to the Jan. 29 primary, either a vote-by-mail campaign or a statewide caucus. But state party officials said those options were too expensive, even if the DNC chipped in.

Nelson and Hastings expect to file a motion by week's end seeking a quick hearing. Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee's executive committee has recommended that Florida Republicans lose half of their delegates to the GOP convention for moving the primary up.

[Last modified October 30, 2007, 23:36:00]