The state and Pinellas election supervisor Deborah Clark are still clashing over a law that requires new voters' driver's license numbers to match ones in the state database.

Clark and Secretary of State Kurt Browning agreed to disagree in their interpretations of the law in a Monday afternoon telephone conference, Clark said. Browning also reminded her he could take legal action if she instituted procedures that were not in compliance with the law.

Clark has said she wants to give voters a chance to correct matching problems at the polls. The state law requires corrections before voters get to the polls or voters must cast provisional ballots and return with clarifying information, state officials say. And Browning last week said Clark is misinterpreting the law.

Clark is seeking advice from Assistant County Attorney Betsy Steg and asked her to review a court decision that upheld the law after a legal challenge. Clark wants to see whether the decision includes this specific situation and is not sure what her course of action will be.

"I may well get some direction from a judge in the future," she said.

-- Times Staff Writers, Lorri Helfand and Steve Bousquet

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