Some of the information being extracted from the computers in the Florida secretary of state's office is merely embarrassing. For example, it's a good bet that no Tallahassee official ever spent more time "wardrobing" and rehearsing for press conferences than Katherine Harris. However, everybody in the Capitol already knew that Harris cared much more about the ceremonial aspects of her job -- such as the overseas trips that have cost Florida taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars -- than the crucial duties for which she is responsible as the state's top elections official.

More disturbing is the accumulating evidence that Harris and others in her office used their public positions and resources for narrowly partisan purposes during last year's presidential campaign. Harris' avid support for George W. Bush never was a secret; Harris was co-chair of Bush's Florida campaign. However, Harris had promised to erect "a firewall" to separate the secretary of state's official work from any partisan activities she and her staff became involved in.

An independent examination of records from four computers in the secretary of state's office shows that no such firewall existed during the campaign. The line between the partisan and the official was further eroded during the recount process, when two top Republican operatives set up shop in Harris' offices.

The information unearthed from the computers contradicts several other assertions made by Harris and members of her staff. For example, Harris' lawyers had claimed the computers were used only to write news releases. In truth, they were used for a variety of tasks, including sending and retrieving e-mail messages, researching legal issues, helping with Harris' press conference "rehearsals" and preparing Harris' political speeches. Harris' aides also originally claimed that the computers' records related to the election were erased when new software was installed, and technicians chosen by Harris later were able to produce only a handful of election documents. However, a data recovery company hired by several media outlets including the Times retrieved thousands of documents Harris' office had not previously produced under Florida's public records law, including some that are blatantly partisan.

None of the recovered documents examined so far points to any direct effort on the part of Harris or her staff to give unfair advantage to Bush during last year's recount process, although the GOP operatives were working for Harris when she altered the wording of a ruling on absentee ballots that helped Bush. However, the emerging picture of the operations of the secretary of state's office is one that should trouble Floridians regardless of their partisan affiliations. The integrity of our electoral process depends on the professionalism and fairness of the secretary of state's operations. Yet Harris mixed her public and partisan interests and was inattentive to the core duties of her office. She and her staff also made a series of assertions that have since been proved untrue. The resulting erosion of credibility doesn't just affect Harris; it leaves a cloud that future state elections officials will have to overcome, whether they happen to be Republicans or Democrats.

Harris' spokesman, David Host, says the secretary of state still isn't worried about how her remarks and activities on behalf of George W. Bush will be viewed by the public. "Her policy is no apologies, no excuses, no regrets," Host said.

That might be a fine sentiment for a Harlequin romance character, but Florida's top elections official should have a greater sense of accountability to the millions of people she is supposed to serve.

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