Deutsch unveils elections proposal

To avoid a reprise of the contested 2000 election, Congressman Peter Deutsch proposes a law that would give a single representative the power to challenge election results.

BY BETH REINHARD

In one of the opening scenes of Fahrenheit 9/11, one black member of Congress after another desperately tries to block certification of the 2000 presidential election. Lacking a single supporter in the U.S. Senate, they fail.

Congressman Peter Deutsch of Hollywood initiated the protest, but filmmaker Michael Moore did not include his image in the documentary bashing President Bush.

Never mind. Deutsch, who is running for the U.S. Senate, is creating his own 15 minutes of fame: At a press conference in Washington scheduled for today, he and U.S. Reps. Alcee Hastings and Corrine Brown will call for a law that would allow a lone member of Congress to challenge election results, without support from the other chamber.

Deutsch said widespread errors found in a state list of ineligible voters, as well as concerns about the accuracy of the new touch-screen voting machines, raise new questions about the upcoming elections.

''It is absolutely critical that there be transparency in government,'' Deutsch said in a telephone interview Monday.

His opponents in the Aug. 31 primary are Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas, former state education commissioner Betty Castor and Hollywood businessman Bernard Klein.

Deutsch's proposal seems aimed at capitalizing on the Fahrenheit 9/11 buzz and reminding Democratic voters of his loyal stance during the 2000 vote recount.

So loyal that former presidential candidate Al Gore issued a statement in June praising Deutsch for his support and reproaching Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas as ''the single most treacherous and dishonest person I dealt with.'' Penelas raised substantial money for Gore, but did not campaign on his behalf in the crucial homestretch.

Deutsch's bill could interest the liberal wing of the party that typically dominates primary elections. Last week, Penelas made a similarly left-wing pitch, calling for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

Some campaign strategists say that harkening back to the bitter recount battle will only serve to reinforce Deutsch's ''doesn't-play-well-with-others'' image. Last year, Deutsch boycotted a Democratic fundraiser because Penelas was receiving an award, and his supporters have been attacking Castor's leadership at the University of South Florida during the late 1990s.

''He risks looking so partisan and so strident, so out of the loop and the mainstream,'' said political consultant Bob Doyle. ``I also doubt that this is a serious legislative effort that would have any kind of chance.''