Florida’s recent history, where the outcome of the 2000 election was decided in favour of George W Bush, is etched on the minds of local Democrats and amongst the many black communities in Florida who felt they were disenfranchised in 2000. It is clear wherever you go in Florida that people in the sunshine state are gearing up to make sure that this time their voice is heard and their votes counted.
With strongly contrasting visions of the future firmly drawn and campaigners on both sides know it may all come down to the states such as Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Both candidates and their Vice Presidential candidates John Edwards and Dick Cheney have focused on Florida and the 27 electoral college votes that are up for grabs. Both camps are playing on the psychology of the 2000 election turbulence to rouse their voters and influence the thousands of undecided. One Florida Democrat sums up the mood, saying, ‘the memory of 2000 is very fresh in all our minds and there is anxiety with a measure of animosity. However, we also have our eyes firmly fixed on the future and the Democrats are bracing for a drawn-out election certification.’ Many though, feel that things will never quite be the same and that questions about the legitimacy of the voting procedures in Florida will remain- certainly whilst they are governed by Bush’s brother.
The decision of the Florida courts to allow Ralph Nader to appear on the ballot paper, as an independent is a blow to Democrats who know he will cost them precious votes. Nader is currently polling around 1 percent of the vote in the state, most of which would probably be votes that would otherwise have gone to Kerry. Nader’s candidacy is overshadowed by the 2000 election and the charge that he helped elect President Bush. The possibility of Nader’s candidacy contributing to Bush’s re-election fuels a ferocious debate among Democrats, Nader supporters and other liberal activists. Some former Nader supporters urged him to skip the 2004 election and believe a vote for Nader is a vote to re-elect Bush. Other liberal activists paint Nader as an out-of-touch liberal warrior driven by ego.
The Democrat team has staged a series of high-octane rallies across Florida that aim to get Democrats and the undecided out to hear their vision of a stronger America. One of these, which I attended in Orlando last month, attracted a record crowd of over 15,000. The Orlando Magic basketball stadium was packed to the rafters. The atmosphere was more akin to a rock concert that a political pep rally. Local sporting heroes and boy band NSYNC introduced Kerry Edwards as the crowd whooped. The audience was diverse in age, ethnicity and background and speaking to a handful of those sat around me everyone was there to ensure Florida does not see a repeat of the debacle of four years ago.
The Democrats have organised a slick campaign aimed at young and old alike mobilising to go out and cast their votes. Senator Edwards recently addressed North Floridians about the Kerry-Edwards plan for a stronger America at one of Florida’s many university campuses. Young Democrats and College Democrats determined not to relive the voting problems of four years ago camped out to be the first to vote on Monday, 18 October, at the start of early voting.
The Democrats have an ally too, in many of the black communities who felt disenfranchised in 2000 at the hands of the Republican camp. Congresswoman Corrine Brown, who represents the 3rd congressional district in North Florida, has been a key voice in mobilising the black communities. Both the black vote and the Youth vote could hold the key for the Democrats and every resource is being pushed into getting their vote out. Rap artists like Sean P. Diddy Combs are helping boost youth registration and voting, and a drive called ‘Vote Naked’ is urging students to ‘do it in the kitchen or the office’ by casting absentee ballots.