WASHINGTON – As Florida inched toward deciding which major party presidential nominee will get its precious 25 electoral votes, eight days after the general election, a rose is blooming.

“Kids are excited. Their eyes are not glazed over,” said Rep. John E. Baldacci, D-Maine. “An entire generation is become politically motivated, and informed. No amount of classroom instruction could have achieved this.”

Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, agrees, saying that the “people are showing a lot of interest. We know a lot more about the Electoral College now than we did before.”

Baldacci, whose state backed Vice President Al Gore, the Democratic nominee, plans to go on the lecture circuit next week to take advantage of the enthusiasm. But he won’t be stumping for votes – not from this generation, anyway. He’ll be at Mary Snow School in Bangor addressing the fourth grade on Monday and then at Monmouth School talking to eighth- and ninth-graders on Tuesday. He has been invited to speak at several more.

“I’m looking forward to doing a whole lot more of these,” he said Tuesday in Washington, where he was forced to travel for a one-day lame-duck session of Congress that found all business postponed for at least another three weeks.

Baldacci says students are telling him about who won New Mexico, how every vote counts. “Kids are asking questions you’d never expect,” Baldacci said. “Anyone who said it [the presidential election delay] doesn’t amount to anything should think again. This has been a wonderful educational lesson.” And, he adds, there’s no constitutional crisis – only the design of the republic being played out with its system of checks and balances, its political tugs.

Gore now holds an electoral vote lead of 267-246 over Texas Gov. George W. Bush (if Gore’s leads in Oregon and New Mexico hold up). But 270 electoral votes are needed for victory – if all states votes are counted. If Florida’s electors are not seated by the deadline on Dec. 18, Gore would win the presidency by having a majority of the electors of those states that had duly authorized electors.

Baldacci and the other members of the Maine congressional delegation have been getting a markedly increased flow of mail, phone calls and e-mail communications from constituents. Baldacci has received about 100 communications.

Susie Wood, a spokeswoman for Sen. Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, whose office has received about 200 e-mails, letters and phone calls, said, “Most of the people are taking the position that there are flaws in the system. Some are for a revote while others are adamant: no revote.”

Calls for a revote have come from Palm Beach County, Fla., where use of a controversial “butterfly” ballot left several thousand voters believing that they inadvertently voted for Reform Party presidential nominee Patrick Buchanan instead of Gore.

An aide, speaking on behalf of Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, said the senator believes in the Electoral College process, but suggests that other states adopt the system used in Maine. In Maine, which has four electors, two are allotted to the winner of the popular vote statewide and one each to the winner of the popular vote in each of the two congressional districts. (Gore won all four electors this time.)

“The senator believes that this situation will result in increased bipartisanship and expectation of progressive leadership, regardless of who wins,” said Snowe spokeswoman Brenda Bowser.

Mark Sullivan, a spokesman for Allen, said the mail has been fairly light – only about 50 calls and letters.

Both Allen and Baldacci favor a recount. Said Allen: “It’s real simple. We do recounts all the time. Always the goal is to be sure you get as close as possible to the will of the people.

“How could anyone not be for counting all the votes?” he asked.

Both Democrats disagreed with some of their own party leaders who indicated that it might be time for Gore to stand down. “People voted, you have to count them all,” Baldacci said. Added Allen: “The effort to stop a hand-count strikes me as bizarre.”

Baldacci said integrity is the most important issue, and refused to take a shot at the Bush campaign for pressing the issue in court. “I think [former President] Jimmy Carter said it best, recently, by saying ‘Let the process move forward,’ and let the votes be counted,” he said.