In a conference call Wednesday to discuss election preparations, Republican National Committee officials were asked about the recent mailing to long-time Florida Democrats that featured a "voter registration tracking form" and listing their affiliation as "unconfirmed." The mailing has sparked fears among some Democrats that the GOP is creating a database to challenge some voters' eligibility on Election Day, but party officials said that is absolutely not their intent.

"In effect, what it is is a fundraising gimmick," RNC general counsel Sean Cairncross said. "It's something that says 'Our system that shows you are a Republican. If you are a Republican, please send us a donation.' That's all it does ... It does not touch the voter's registration. It is not drawn on any sort of state list. It is our internal mailing list. It has been mailed every year since, I believe, 1997. It's simply a direct-mail fundraising piece, and frankly it raises a good deal of money."

Florida Democrats say it appears the mailing went mainly to older voters, and several who contacted the St. Petersburg Times said they were life-long Democrats who had no idea how their names could be in any Republican Party database. Secretary of State Kurt Browning has called the mailing "unfortunate" because of its potential to make some voters question the validity of their registrations.   

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