WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US Democratic Party Saturday restored Florida's delegation to its presidential convention, but halved its voting power to punish the state over a dispute over scheduling its primary vote.
The Party's rules and bylaws committee voted by 27-0 for the compromise plan, which will give primary winner Hillary Clinton a net gain of 19 delegates to the convention but leave her well behind Barack Obama in the total delegate count.
The plan will see all the states delegates, and superdelegates (top party officials) restored, but they will each have only half a vote at the convention in Denver in August to crown the party's presidential challenger.
At a fiercely contested meeting at a Washington hotel, the committee earlier rejected Clinton's bid to have the Florida delegation seated in full.
The panel was still debating a solution to a row over another renegade state, Michigan.
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