FL Statute Forbids Issue-oriented Polls Political Committees, Parties Can't Ask Voters Their Views

[DeSwiss]

Statute forbids issue-oriented polls
"Political committees, parties can't ask voters about their views"

August 28, 2007
BY PAIGE ST. JOHN
FLORIDA TODAY

TALLAHASSEE - Florida elections officials will begin enforcing a law which changes the state's "rules of political engagement": campaigns can't ask voters about the issues. For example, political committees that push or want to defeat ballot initiatives, such as changing Florida's property tax structure, can't survey voters to find out how they feel about the issue.

A lawyer for the Department of State's Division of Elections issued the advisory opinion last week, at the request of a political committee that wanted to know if it could co-sponsor such polls with other groups, and if so, how to report the costs. "Truthfully, no one ever posed the question before, but the law is very clear," said Sterling Ivey, spokesman for the department.

Though the opinion applies only to polls by political committees, it refers to a statute that, if read the same way, also would stop political parties and, beginning in January, electioneering organizations from surveying voters on issues. Campaign finance records show that since January 2006, more than $3.2 million has been spent on polling, the bulk of which was paid for by political parties and special interest groups. No one was more surprised than those seeking the advice.

"We were simply asking about how do we go about cooperating with another political committee," said Jon Kislak, chairman of Florida Red and Blue, one of several committees opposed to a ballot initiative to ban gay marriage. "We got an answer that political committees for decades in Florida have operated contrary to law."

Read more: http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070828/NEWS01/708280342/1006

*** - Huh? So Florida tell me this, does this mean the 2000 election doesn't count? Can we kick Bush's ass out of the WH Now!?!?! Please say yes.....