Election Challenge For Florida District Is Taken to the House

[cal04]

A battle over who won the congressional election in Florida's 13th District is in the courts and could be debated in Congress itself.

Christine Jennings, the Democrat, informed Congress last week that she was contesting the election, claiming that electronic voting machines malfunctioned and that state officials wrongly certified the election in favor of Republican Vern Buchanan. She also filed a lawsuit asking for access to the source code of the machines, manufactured by Election Systems & Software Inc.

Two weeks after the Nov. 7 election, the state certified Buchanan as the winner by 369 votes. Jennings wants a new vote. If she prevails, the Democratic gains in the midterm elections will increase to 31 House seats.

On Election Day, 18,000 Sarasota County voters who went to the polls registered no choice in the congressional race. Jennings argued that that was evidence of a machine glitch, but the state indicated that it found no evidence of one. ES&S also rejected her argument, and Buchanan said she should concede.




http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/23/AR2006122300627.html

[bleever]

1. The House determines the eligibility of its members, as was

established in the CA-50 special election, "won" by Brian Bilbray despite numerous irregularites, including voting machines sleeping over at poll workers houses. But Denny Hastert "swore" him in before official certification, and subsequent court rulings deferred to the House's right to determine the eligibility of its members, even irrespective of local election law.

[suston96]

5. Just two words to Speaker Pelosi....

........Brian Bilbray. Tell her, and tell her often.

[Pierzin]

2. Voting machines should be completely transparent. period.

If there is any question at as to the integrity of any votes in such a close election, there is something wrong.

[Morgana LaFey]

3. Pelosi had signalled she didn't want this

I hope she smartens up and takes it, and doesn't leave Jennings hanging. I don't know if she's got that much political courage. Hope she proves me wrong.

[magellan]

4. She'd better gird herself and jump into the fray

Clawing democracy back from the brink is going to involve a lot of small but necessary battles like this one. BushCo and the Repugs have managed to foul virtually every part of government in the last six years.

[Morgana LaFey]

8. Looks like she might make us proud after all --

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2664195

[whalerider55]

6. Seems pretty simple to me...

you seat the "winner", (Buchanan)and immediately open a House Investigation into the election, which would consider all the evidence. Once the evidence is in (and even Fl Sec'y of State and Election Systems will find congressional subpoenas hard to resist), you either unseat the bastard, or order a new election.

and the investigation reveals info about how "they" are doing it to the electorate, and what we can do in '08 to prevent it.

whalerider55

[Imagevision]

7. Christine Jennings win via recount should be the case for paper receipts only election machines!!