Florida 2.0: The First Draft

Read it here.

Lots of obstacles remain... preclearance, the Florida House Dems, David Plouffe's strategy... but, as a senior party official put to me earlier this week, "What do we have to lose?"

Formally, the state party executive committee will vote on this in April 15. But the party will begin the process much earlier than that.

Here's chair Karen Thurman's intro:

Democratic Leaders –
I urge you to fully consider the following information thoughtfully and thoroughly, remembering that we are all in this primary situation together. There is no question that we must move quickly to deal with the dispute over Florida’s Democratic Presidential Primary. Fingers have been pointed in every direction, but how we arrived at this breaking point is irrelevant. The stark reality is that all Democrats lose if this is not resolved immediately. Florida Senate Democratic Leader Steve Geller commissioned a poll of voters who participated in the state’s January 29th Democratic Presidential Primary. The results are striking – 59% of those Democrats want a revote. Moreover, only 63% of these primary‐voting Democrats are committed to sticking with our eventual nominee if Florida voters are not counted. That number is dangerously low.
We must refocus our discussion of this issue on the people of Florida. Restoring their faith in the Democratic Party is of paramount importance. No action is truly a solution if it leaves Florida voters feeling that they were excluded from the most exciting nominating contest in history. Because of the unprecedented nature of the national race, a situation that previously was a relatively minor, party‐insider issue now has the potential to result in irreparable damage for years to come. The people of Florida are not responsible for this dilemma and should not be unfairly punished by losing their right to vote. It is true that a record‐breaking 1.75 million Democrats voted on January 29th in an open and fair election. The Florida Democratic
Party has been adamant and consistent for many months that the results of this election should be counted and the allocated delegates seated because it was the only opportunity for all Florida Democrats to participate. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly clear that there is no possibility the presidential campaigns and the DNC will agree to seat the delegation as is. Some have suggested that to resolve this issue Florida’s delegation be split evenly between the candidates, and potentially restore the superdelegates’ votes. However, the DNC has informed the Party that this is not an option under the Rules. Additionally, it does not allow the voters to participate in the process. Attached is a draft outline of a proposal I would like you to review as soon as possible. It is the only best option that has been presented to me that offers Florida voters a voice in the nominating process. After you have seriously considered it, please respond
directly to me or Executive Director Leonard Joseph via email or phone by the close of business Friday with your comments, concerns and suggestions. I will review all input over the weekend and be in touch again on Monday. If the consensus is that we should take the next step, the Party is fully prepared to do so and will make available a full delegate selection plan for a 30‐day
public comment period. If not, the Party cannot and will not move forward without your support. Thank you.