(Democratic nominee Christine) Jennings takes legal action amid recount

[sabra]

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061114/NEWS/611140496

Jennings takes legal action amid recount

It didn't take long for the first legal action to be taken in the disputed congressional race, signaling how big a role the courts may ultimately play in deciding who represents the 13th District.

In the five counties comprising the district, elections supervisors and canvassing boards on Monday launched a recount of votes for Vern Buchanan, the Republican nominee, and Christine Jennings, the Democratic nominee.

Hanging over that recount is an unusually high undervote in Sarasota County from the Nov. 7 election. More than 18,000 voters in Sarasota County left the race for Congress blank, causing many Democrats to speculate whether electronic voting machines failed to register votes that should have gone to Jennings.

It took just minutes for the recount, due to be completed on Wednesday, to hit its first snag.

One of the dozens of election observers questioned the procedures that Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent was using. The recount got restarted 30 minutes later. Then, at the end of the day, Jennings' attorneys announced that they had filed an emergency petition with the Circuit Court to secure all voting machinery and data for possible further investigation.

[thereismore]

1. damn straight. nt

[SharonAnn]

2. Good for her. It's the right thing to do.

[Doctor_J]

3. Jeb 'Papa Doc' Bush

has Florida well-oiled.

[jobycom]

4. Five counties cannot comprise a district

A district can comprise five counties, of course...

Basic Strunk and White. Where do they find these editors?

[texpatriot2004]

5. love that last sentence nm

[BootinUp]

6. Something stinks big time. Hope they get to the bottom

of this. :grr:

[wakeme2008]

7. It is my understanding of those 18,000 no selection votes

the people voted for the Dem Davis over the Repug Chist for Governor...

[Peace Patriot]

8. They're saying 18,000 voters DIDN'T VOTE in the hottest Congressional

mid-term elections in U.S. history?! And now we find out most of these were DEMOCRATIC votes?!

I think we need a PAPER BALLOT/HAND-COUNTED re-vote in Sarasota County!

This is absurd!

And I hope Christine Jennings and the thousands who voted for her, whose votes were erased, can find justice in Florida courts. And, if not, where else, and how else, can justice be obtained?

[zreosumgame]

9. there is no paper to re-count

convient ain't it?

[Catfight]

10. Good for her, I hope this will get a lot of attention and expose our

broken voting system.

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. Bravo! Or Brava!

[dazzlerazzle]

12. congressional candidate box blank?

I can understand people passing over some issues, and possibly levies and judicial selections, but why would that many people pass over the congressional slot? It's the only time you get a chance to decide who represents you and your community and family. Something stinks!

[demo dutch]

13. Vern Buchanan is related to Pat Buchanan. Surprised Pat has been complaining

on CNN about it

[Igel]

14. I would have liked the reporter to say what the procedures

were that Jennings disapproved of, and what basis she's claiming for her petition.

[Eugene]

15. AP: Fla. Judge Delays Voting Machines Audit

Fla. Judge Delays Voting Machines Audit

By PHIL DAVIS
The Associated Press
Tuesday, November 14, 2006; 3:00 PM

SARASOTA, Fla. -- A circuit court judge Tuesday temporarily delayed a state audit
of touch-screen voting machines used in the contest for the seat Rep. Katherine
Harris gave up to make her failed Senate run.

Sarasota Circuit Judge Deno Economou delayed the audit until both candidates can
get their own experts involved in the investigation.

The order does not halt an ongoing recount in the congressional race to replace
Harris.

-snip-

Lawyers for both candidates told the judge Tuesday at an emergency hearing that
they wanted their own experts on hand to participate with an audit team sent
to Sarasota by Florida Secretary of State Sue Cobb. The team had expected to
begin testing machines on Wednesday.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/14/AR2006111400721.html