Florida Dem candidate Christine Jennings to Congress: Vote machines "malfunctioned"

[DeepModem Mom]

Miami Herald: Jennings to Congress: Vote machines `malfunctioned'
Christine Jennings filed a request for Congress to investigate Sarasota County's recent election.
BY LESLEY CLARK

WASHINGTON - The dispute over the congressional seat once held by Rep. Katherine Harris landed in the nation's Capitol on Wednesday, with Democrat Christine Jennings asking Congress to investigate ''pervasive malfunctioning'' of Sarasota's voting machines, and possibly order a second election.

The move came as Jennings fights the November election in the Florida courts and Republicans stepped up calls for her to give up the contest.

But Jennings, in Washington to personally deliver the papers calling for an investigation into why 18,000 votes went missing, remained undaunted....

A spokesman for incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the filing ''appropriate'' but signaled a wish the matter be resolved by the state courts.

''The federal contested elections act was written specifically to address such serious situations -- where thousands of voters may have been denied participation in the election and the outcome is in doubt,'' said Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly. ``However, we hope that this case is resolved satisfactorily in the Florida legal system, based on all facts.''

Jennings, with the support of Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and others, has called for a second election, saying Republican Vern Buchanan, who was certified as the winner by 369 votes, shouldn't be seated until questions about Sarasota County's voting machines and 18,000 so-called under votes are resolved. She's challenging the results in court in Tallahassee, but said she filed Wednesday in Washington to push for a full investigation into the voting machines should she be denied in Florida....

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/16286251.htm

[Botany]

1. malfunction?

No those EES machines functioned as they were designed to do.
Look how hard EES and certain members of the BOE are fighting
to keep the machines from being "looked at."

I hope Pelosi does allow Congress to have hearings and a look see
@ these DRE machines.

BTW RFK Jr.'s 2nd article in Rolling stone had documented evidence
that using DRE machines resulted in 99% of the time having "vote migration"
to bush in excess of random error.

[Contrite]

7. Do you know how the qui tam suit is going>

I haven't heard anything--just some hints on Ring of Fire a few weeks ago that Pap was "slaying corporate dragons" in Cleveland.

[yankhadenuf]

8. Paper or... PNAC

If we grassroots want our freedoms back then we better get the paper trail back first

[angry_chuck]

21. migration my ass

anything to avoid the truth right? those bastards "The votes migrated, you know, under their own power. No one forced them to migrate! What is with your liberal bias already? haha, ha.

what's so wrong with saying "The votes were electronically manipulated by sinister GOPoliticians hungry for more power."

I guess 'migrated' sounds smoother, right?

[Benhurst]

2. Good. And our leadership in the House had better show some

backbone if she doesn't get justice from the Florida courts.

[lpbk2713]

3. Buchanan is a sleaze.

It's just not possible that he could have gotten the majority vote.

Virtually every ad he showed on TV was of the negative variety, telling lies and slinging mud at Jennings on each and every one.

[Gregorian]

4. The upper levels of our government are malfunctioning.

I just got back from jury duty. A strange feeling it was to see everyone playing their constitutional roles. To see the introductory juror film, discussing habeas corpus, and innocent until proven guilty. And to see the judge in his role, interceding where the hearing went astray from judicial principals.

And what a stranger feeling, yet, to realize that whilst these functions of our government were playing out according to the rule of constitutional law, the upper levels of our government were astray from those basic founding principals.

[Selteri]

9. THere is more malfunction in our government than there should be.

Why is it illegal for Jurors to ask a lawyer legal advice over their rights?

Why are these voting machines being allowed to get away with questionable results time and again?

Why are we Americans allowing our constitution to be used like toilet paper by a chimp?

[buddysmellgood]

5. At least the Iraqis got purple fingers. That's all the matters. We need to export

our democracy until we're all out. We're pretty much done with it.

[Jersey Ginny]

6. Are mandatory paper trails for voting machines on the "100 hours" agenda? n/t

[LSK]

10. is there another election in 100 hours?

:shrug:

Its on the agenda, but there are things people need TODAY.

[emlev]

27. Paper trails won't do it--please SEND THIS message to Congress

A paper *ballot* for every vote cast.

Click here to send this message to your Senators and Congressional Representative.

The letter that will be sent includes this explanation of why paper trails are bad:

Paper trails and paper records are not sufficient to safeguard elections and restore confidence among the electorate. Unless there is a paper ballot for every vote cast, three fundamental principles of democratic elections are violated:

1. Observable tallies. It is impossible for citizens to observe the counting of electronic ballots and audit the results.

2. Equal access. Requiring voters to cast votes on computers discriminates against those who are not familiar with the technology.

3. Accurate results. It is impossible to ensure that the reported results are accurate. In fact, a voter-verifiable paper audit trail cannot be depended on to provide the certainty lacking in electronic tallies. Clear evidence from several recent elections reveals instances in which:

* The electronic screen record did not reflect the voter's intent.
* The electronic count did not match the paper trail produced by the e-voting machine.
* The summary review screen did not match the paper trail produced by the e-voting machine.
* Voters did not know to verify the paper trail or were prevented from doing so by improper design, incorrect setup, or malfunction of the printer.
* Computer systems introduced unnecessary complexity into the entire election process and therefore increased the likelihood of errors by voters, poll workers, and election officials.
* Computerized voting relinquished control of the final outcome to the technical skills of those who programed the software.

You can add your own message when you send the letter, which was signed by over 30 organizations.

[Lasher]

11. Why doesn't Pelosi just ignore the election process and swear Jennings in?

That's the way it's done, you know. Just ask Francine Busby.

Edit: I have a bandaid on my right index finger, OK?

[Dr.Phool]

12. Breaking...........That's not all

I know that at least 3 other Congressional Candidates from Florida are contesting the election results. The papers were filed on Wed.

The vote margins were too far apart for a recount, but the candidates walked several precincts in their districts and got voters to swear affadavits on how they voted. Their counts and the official results were way, waaaayy off. Some voters, who were listed as having voted swore that they DID NOT vote in the election.

So far, not a word in the media.

[LiberalLovinLug]

13. yes it's true

"So far, not a word in the media."

The MSM is taking their time so they can craft their response in the "right" light. You know, the Democrats are sore losers ......They have the congress, so why don't they just shut up........wasting tax dollars in a re-count.....etc.

...the usual

[Higans]

15. carefully crafted..

[Joe Chi Minh]

17. Is it any wonder that there is not a word of it in the media, when, unlike in this

article, where the term "missing votes" is used, the term "undervotes" is customarily almost always used as a euphemism, a custom which is not simply wholly unwarranted, but is perniciously antisocial to the "n"th degree.

In effect, it clearly substantially contributes to the condoning of fraud, itself, by the very government of the day. I say "itself", because, although it seems to have become a common-place feature in US elections, fraud is in reality a very big deal; all the more horrendous when it suborns national elections, rather than "just" the largest corporations.

I thought the Democrats' acquiescence in the use of the acronym, GOP, and what it stands for was foolish enough, in a country in which government elections seem to have always partaken of the nature of blood sports. But, truly, for Democrats - indeed Republicans of integrity - to go along with the term, "undervotes", to signify "missing votes", is nothing less than scandalous.

[Stevepol]

18. This is great and could turn out to be history-making!

The voting machine scam and con game is the biggest such scandal in American history, and this issue of having the votes counted fairly and not by private companies using proprietary, trade secret software goes to the root of democracy. It's the biggest issue on the agenda right now. When the vote is counted in total secrecy without verification, it's not possible to have a democracy.

But for the voting machines, Bush would never have been elected in 04, which means in all likelihood we wouldn't be in Iraq and much of the other manure Bush has spread around DC, the US, and the world would not be there to clean up. We also would have Max Cleland and Mondale and a few other Dems in Congress to help the new members who were able to get in because the landslide was so great it outdid the fraud and tilt built into the machines. Our good name would be tarnished but would probably on the way to restoration. Etc. etc.

[Gregorian]

20. This is big stuff!

I didn't want to say huge. But it's huge. Potentially.

Especially the votes for those who didn't even vote!

May this finally get the honest attention it deserves.

[orleans]

25. is there a link for this? i'd love to read more --little things like this

tend to give me hope. (and i sure can use all i can get)

[Higans]

14. Stick it to em!!

[danhan]

16. Florida is not alone

Florida isn't the only place!!

http://www.votersunite.org/electionproblems.asp

[peabody71]

19. Pelosi, Pelosi, Pelosi.

If you son't get it yet you'll never rget it.

[In Truth We Trust]

22. Hand Counted Paper Ballots NOW! ...or Fascism Forever.

[David Zephyr]

23. This contest should become a central focus for all of us.

Thanks DeepModem Mom for the post and news.

[woodsgirl]

24. Nancy Pelosi knows

Fla. would never help a dem., no matter how overwhelming the
evidence. She is a disapointment before she takes over as
majority leader. What is it with the dem. party to see no
evil, hear no evil and pretty much go along and get along.We
need some third party candidates to rattle the cages so they
will do something.

[orleans]

26. kickin. n/t

[Vinca]

28. There's no way this can be called a fair election and the only way

to resolve it is a revote. I'm betting Jennings won by the number of undercounted votes and that's a substantial victory. It isn't fair to allow the Republican to take the seat without a verification of the intent of the voters.

[Imagevision]

29. One thing for repugs, - at least they stick together, Dems should try it...!