Obama says Florida, Michigan delegates should vote

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By Beth Rinehard | The Miami Herald

Seeking closure of the bitter dispute that rocked Florida's Democratic primary, presumptive nominee Barack Obama asked the national party Sunday to let the state's and Michigan's delegates cast full votes at the convention in Denver.

Practically speaking, whether Florida delegates have full or half votes won't matter because Obama won enough delegates in the primaries to claim the nomination. Still, Democratic leaders welcomed the gesture.

'Today is a proud day for all of us who fought so hard to ensure Floridians' votes are fully counted,'' said Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman in a statement.

Last year, the DNC ruled that Florida and Michigan could not attend the convention because their early primaries broke party rules. Upon the urging of four states entititled to hold the earliest contests, Obama and other candidates boycotted the two states, shutting Democrats in Florida and Michigan out of a historic primary season.

Read the full story at MiamiHerald.com.

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