House Bill hb0001Ae1

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  1               House Concurrent Resolution No. ____

  2         A concurrent resolution providing for the

  3         manner of appointing electors for President and

  4         Vice President of the United States; providing

  5         for the appointment of such electors; providing

  6         for the filling of vacancies.

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  8         WHEREAS, an election was held in this state on November

  9  7, 2000, for the purpose of selecting electors from Florida to

10  cast the state's vote for President and Vice President of the

11  United States of America on December 18, 2000, and

12         WHEREAS, Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution of

13  the United States provides, in pertinent part, that "Each

14  State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof

15  may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of

16  Senators and Representatives to which the State may be

17  entitled in the Congress," and

18         WHEREAS, Section 5 of Title 3 of the United States Code

19  provides:

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21         "If any State shall have provided, by laws

22         enacted prior to the day fixed for the

23         appointment of the electors, for its final

24         determination of any controversy or contest

25         concerning the appointment of all or any of the

26         electors of such State, by judicial or other

27         methods or procedures, and such determination

28         shall have been made at least six days before

29         the time fixed for the meeting of the electors,

30         such determination made pursuant to such law so

31         existing on said day, and made at least six


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  1         days prior to said time of meeting of the

  2         electors, shall be conclusive, and shall govern

  3         in the counting of the electoral votes as

  4         provided in the Constitution, and as

  5         hereinafter regulated, so far as the

  6         ascertainment of the electors appointed by such

  7         State is concerned," and

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  9         WHEREAS, the names of the electors who were appointed

10  following the Florida Secretary of State's certification on

11  November 26, 2000, were forwarded to Congress by the Governor

12  of the State of Florida with a certificate of ascertainment

13  pursuant to a timetable and scheme dictated by the November

14  21, 2000, decision of the Florida Supreme Court, and that

15  decision has been vacated by the December 4, 2000, ruling of

16  the Supreme Court of the United States, thus increasing the

17  uncertainty and confusion regarding the validity of the

18  appointment of those electors, and

19         WHEREAS, the electors who were appointed on November

20  26, 2000, are the same electors as those who would have been

21  appointed pursuant to a certification made on November 17,

22  2000, had the Florida Secretary of State been allowed to do

23  so, and

24         WHEREAS, it appears that there exists a reasonable risk

25  that the Congress of the United States, in exercising its

26  counting powers pursuant to the Twelfth Amendment of the

27  Constitution of the United States and Title 3 of the United

28  States Code over the votes cast for President and Vice

29  President by the members of the Electoral College, may

30  determine that the election held in this state for the purpose

31  of choosing electors has failed to make a choice on the day


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  1  prescribed by law because contests and controversies have

  2  arisen concerning that election, and that the Congress may

  3  decide that those contests and controversies either were not

  4  finally determined by December 12, 2000, or that such

  5  determination was not pursuant to pre-existing election law or

  6  was not in compliance with Article II, Section 1 of the United

  7  States Constitution, and that accordingly Congress may not

  8  count the votes of the 25 electors already certified and sent

  9  to the Congress by the Governor of the State of Florida, and

10         WHEREAS, the Florida Legislature wishes to fulfill its

11  constitutional obligation to ensure that Florida's six million

12  voters are not disenfranchised and that its 25 electoral votes

13  will be counted by Congress, and

14         WHEREAS, Section 2 of Title 3 of the United States Code

15  provides that "Whenever any State has held an election for the

16  purpose of choosing electors, and has failed to make a choice

17  on the day prescribed by law, the electors may be appointed on

18  a subsequent day in such a manner as the legislature of such

19  State may direct," NOW, THEREFORE,

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21  Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of

22  Florida, the Senate Concurring:

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24         That the Florida Legislature finds that the election

25  for electors for President and Vice President of the United

26  States of America held on November 7, 2000, ultimately failed

27  to make a choice of such electors.

28         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the manner that the Florida

29  Legislature directs that electors for President and Vice

30  President of the United States of America be appointed in the

31  year 2000 is by appointment by the Florida Legislature.


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  1         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Florida Legislature

  2  hereby appoints as the 25 electors for President and Vice

  3  President of the United States of America, such number being

  4  equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to

  5  which the State of Florida is entitled in the Congress, the

  6  following named persons: Charles W. Kane, whose address is or

  7  was 4084 S.E. Fairway East, Stuart, Florida 34997; Maria De La

  8  Milera, whose address is or was 398 West 53rd Street, Hialeah,

  9  Florida 33012; Sandra M. Faulkner, whose address is or was

10  1850 Stable Trail, Palm Harbor, Florida 34685; H. Gary Morse,

11  whose address is or was 1100 Main Street, The Villages,

12  Florida 32159; Armando Codina, whose address is or was 2

13  Alhambra Plaza, PH 2, Coral Gables, Florida 33134; Carole Jean

14  Jordan, whose address is or was 1525 Old Dixie Highway, Vero

15  Beach, Florida 32960; Tom Slade, whose address is or was 200

16  West College Avenue, #308, Tallahassee, Florida 32301; Marsha

17  Nippert, whose address is or was 1520 Blue Heron, Sarasota,

18  Florida 34239; Robert L. Woody, whose address is or was 608

19  S.E. 12th Street, Gainesville, Florida 32641; John Thrasher,

20  whose address is or was The Capitol, Room 420, Tallahassee,

21  Florida 32399; Mel Martinez, whose address is or was P.O. Box

22  1393, Orlando, Florida 32802-1393; Feliciano M. Foyo, whose

23  address is or was 5915 Grenada, Miami, Florida 33146; Al

24  Hoffman, whose address is or was 11200 Longwake Chase Court,

25  Ft. Myers, Florida 33908; Alfred S. Austin, whose address is

26  or was 1211 N. Westshore Blvd., Tampa, Florida 33607; Thomas

27  C. Feeney, III, whose address is or was 28 W. Central Blvd.,

28  Orlando, Florida 32801; John M. McKay, whose address is or was

29  P.O. Box 111, Bradenton, Florida 34206; Cynthia M. Handley,

30  whose address is or was 10 Willow Green Drive, Cocoa Beach,

31  Florida 32931; Darryl K. Sharpton, whose address is or was One


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  1  SE Avenue, Suite 2100, Miami, Florida 33131; Dr. Adam W.

  2  Herbert, whose address is or was 325 W. Gaines Street,

  3  Tallahassee, Florida 32399; Berta J. Moralejo, whose address

  4  is or was 7008 Oakview Circle, Tampa, Florida 33634; Jeanne

  5  Barber Godwin, whose address is or was 46 Star Lake Drive,

  6  Pensacola, Florida 32507; Deborah L. Brooks, whose address is

  7  or was 3033 SW 53rd Street, Ocala, Florida 34478; Dr. Dorsey

  8  C. Miller, whose address is or was P.O. Box 1738, Ft.

  9  Lauderdale, Florida 33301; Glenda E. Hood, whose address is or

10  was 400 S. Orange Avenue, Maitland, Florida 32801; and Dawn

11  Guzzetta, whose address is or was Palm Beach Sheriff's Ofc.,

12  3228 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, Florida 33406-3001.

13         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, if for any reason an

14  elector appointed by this resolution is unable to serve

15  because of death, incapacity, or otherwise, the Governor of

16  the State of Florida may appoint a person to fill such vacancy

17  who is a citizen of the State of Florida, who was registered

18  and otherwise eligible to vote in the general election held on

19  November 7, 2000, and who is not prohibited from serving as an

20  elector under Artice II, Section 1 of the United States

21  Constitution.

22         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that each elector for President

23  and Vice President of the United States appointed by this

24  resolution shall, before 10 a.m. on December 18, 2000, give

25  notice to the Governor of the State of Florida that such

26  elector is in Tallahassee and ready to perform the duties of

27  an elector for President and Vice President of the United

28  States and, if it shall be found that one or more electors

29  appointed pursuant to this concurrent resolution are absent,

30  the electors present, subject to the provisions of section

31  103.061, Florida Statutes, shall elect by ballot, in the


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  1  presence of the Governor, a person or persons to fill such

  2  vacancy or vacancies as may have occurred through the

  3  nonattendance of the elector.

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