WHY OUR VOTES MAY NOT COUNT

Hi All,
In another Comment stream:

ChrisJ said...
Now - on to serious business. What is this with the Michigan votes and the Florida votes not counting. I know we have already been through this discussion with Dave. He explained, but I still don't get it. It is suppose to be the Republican's fault. But how can anybody in this great USA take away our vote away??? it's un-American!!!

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Hi All,
This issue, in both cases, Florida and Michigan was a result of the States wishing to aggrandize themselves on the National Political Stage. The result was that the DNC slapped their wrists by invalidating their Delegates; Wow, a credentials fight at a Democratic Convention; what else is new??
Dave
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The following extracts will put you in the picture, read the entire reference for more detail:

Florida Moves Its Primary Up to January 2008

All Things Considered, May 21, 2007 · The state of Florida is moving its presidential primary earlier by one week, under a new law signed by Gov. Charlie Crist. The change means that Florida's Jan. 29 vote will set it apart from the large number of states holding their primaries on Feb. 5, 2008.


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10304611



What if Democratic voters turned out for a presidential primary in Florida and their vote didn't count?

No, this isn't a Katherine Harris joke.
It's an option national Democratic leaders are seriously considering as they grapple with Florida's newly scheduled 2008 presidential primary date, which could upend the national primary process and produce yet another weird Florida election. Consider the scenario:

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/09/State/Dems__primary_may_not.shtml

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LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Senate voted Wednesday to move the state's presidential nomination contests to Jan. 15, further roiling an already turbulent nomination schedule that has raised the possibility of voting before New Year's.

Approval of the switch is far from sure. The Michigan House must still pass the measure, and a disagreement among state Democratic leaders over whether to hold a primary or a caucus is complicating final action

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2007-08-22-michigan-primary_N.htm

Mich. Primary Move Splits Democrats ; Candidates Stay Away, but Others Say State's Voice Should Match Its Size

By Peter SlevinWashington Post Staff WriterTuesday, October 9, 2007; A06

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 8 -- For Debbie Dingell and Sen. Carl M. Levin, the standoff has been brewing for years. The Michigan Democrats have long worked, mostly behind the scenes, to change an electoral calendar that places vast importance on results in Iowa and New Hampshire, states that bear little resemblance to the industrial heartland.

"There's just no possible justification for one or two states that are not particularly representative to have a dominant role in this process. It's not fair to other states," Levin said in a telephone interview. "Why the hell do New Hampshire and Iowa have a claim to the attention to their issues?"

Republican presidential candidates will be standing on a Dearborn stage Tuesday afternoon, discussing manufacturing, jobs and the U.S. economy. Democrats, meanwhile, are shunning Michigan in retaliation for the state's decision to elbow its way into the early primary lineup. When Michigan moved its primary to Jan. 15, leaders in New Hampshire and Iowa leaned on the Democratic principals to stay away.

The result is a tangle, with the Democratic National Committee vowing not to seat any convention delegates Michigan chooses that day and Democratic presidential candidates facing a deadline of Tuesday to decide whether to remain on the ballot here

.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/08/AR2007100801511_pf.html

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Hope that helps;
Dave