Head of NAACP tells Howard Dean he must seat Florida and Michigan delegates

NAACP chairman Julian Bond expressed ''great concern at the prospect that millions of voters in Michigan and Florida could ultimately have their votes completely discounted.'' Refusing to seat the states' delegations could remind voters of the ''sordid history of racially discriminatory primaries,'' he said. The prominent civil rights leader has told the Democratic National Committee that refusing to seat delegates from Florida and Michigan would disenfranchise both states' minority communities.

In an interview, Bond said the NAACP had taken no position in the race between Clinton and Obama and would not endorse either candidate. He sent the letter on behalf of the voters in Michigan and especially Florida, where the Republican-controlled legislature and governor changed the state's primary date.

Julian Bond penned a letter to Howard Dean in which he wrote, "we are deeply concerned that not finding a solution to this dilemma that recognizes the will and intent of Florida and Michigan voters could cast troubling aspirations on the democratic process of selecting candidates in a fully and equally inclusive manner."

Miami Herald
Politico