By David Royse
Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2001; 1:54 p.m. EDT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –– A Democratic leader on Wednesday accused Florida's top elections official of violating state law by allowing political work to be done in her office during last fall's presidential election.

An initial review of computer files in the office of Secretary of State Katherine Harris, who also served as co-chair of George W. Bush's Florida campaign, revealed documents endorsing Bush for president.

Harris had said repeatedly that she had erected "a firewall" during the election between her state office and the Republican Party.

Democrats said Wednesday they were considering asking prosecutors to investigate, pointing to a state law that says candidates cannot "use the services of any officer or employee of the state during working hours."

"The law is pretty specific that you can't campaign, you can't engage yourself in a campaign, from a state office," state Democratic Party Chairman Bob Poe said.

Poe said it was particularly disturbing that state workers performed political work in an office that oversees elections.

Democrats have charged that Harris used her position to boost Bush's chances of winning the state.

While Democrat Al Gore came out ahead in the national popular vote, a narrow victory in Florida gave Bush the state's 25 electoral votes he needed to win. A recount of thousands of Florida ballots and resulting court battles held up a resolution to the election for five weeks; Gore conceded on Dec. 13.

The campaign material found on the computers in Harris' office was among tens of thousands of computer files released by Harris last week after reporters questioned whether she had erased election records that a newspaper had asked to examine.

One document was titled "George W. Bush Talking Points." It was dated March 14, 2000, and endorsed Bush's nomination for president, saying he had "proven in Texas that he can manage like an executive, govern across party lines and lead with inclusiveness."

Another document, a speech written for Harris, urged Republicans to support Bush and "send the loudest possible message that we are ready to lead!"

Harris' spokesman, David Host, said the "talking points" speech was sent by someone outside Harris' office and that she never delivered the remarks. He said he did not know who sent it. Host said he had not seen the second document and could not comment on it.

Donald Tighe, the former staff member who used the computer on which the talking points speech was found, acknowledged that he did political work on office computers but said he spent working hours on state work. He now works for a nonprofit group in Washington.

Harris agreed to allow news organizations to check the hard drives of four computers in her office after a report in The New York Times questioned whether Republican operatives influenced how Harris told elections officials to treat overseas absentee ballots.

News organizations including The Associated Press and the Times hired Minneapolis-based Ontrack Data International Inc. to inspect the hard drives.

Technicians with the firm said the computers showed no evidence of wholesale intentional erasures, although some files had been deleted.

Kerry Stillman, an official with the state Commission on Ethics, could not comment on individual cases, but said using state equipment and time for political activity falls under the state law governing misuse of public position.

In a statement issued by her office, Harris said "no partisan political activity transpired in my office during the recount period."

The other news organizations that hired Ontrack Data are the Orlando Sentinel, the St. Petersburg Times, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Tallahassee Democrat, The Florida Times-Union of Jacksonville, The Miami Herald, The New York Times Regional Newspaper Group, The News-Journal of Daytona Beach, The Palm Beach Post, The Tampa Tribune, Capitol News Service, and Gannett News Service.