Florida, Michigan float do-over primaries

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., March 13 (UPI) -- Scenarios for replaying Democratic primaries in Florida and Michigan are being floated by supporters who want to see their states' delegates count.

Florida's Democratic party chairwoman Karen Thurman is shopping a draft that would provide for a mail-in party primary June 3, The New York Times reported Thursday. In Michigan, Democrats are moving toward a conventional primary that would require legislative approval and funds of $10 million or so to finance it.

The two states were stripped of their delegates by the National Democratic Committee as punishment for running their party primaries before Super Tuesday.

But the Florida Democratic Party's proposal may be fatally flawed because Florida law bars elected officials from authenticating votes cast, The Miami Herald reported.

''There's no authority under Florida law that would allow county supervisors of election or the state to verify signatures in an election of a state party,'' said Sterling Ivey, a spokesman for the secretary of state and division of elections.

Then there's the expense: The state party estimated a mailed ballot would cost between $10 million to $12 million.