Jennings Officially Contests Race in Florida’s 13th District

New York Times ^ | 12/20/06 | Rachel Kapochunas

[BlackRazor]

Jennings Officially Contests Race in Florida’s 13th District

By Rachel Kapochunas
Published: December 20, 2006

After weeks of focusing her challenge to the close election results in Florida’s 13th Congressional District on that state’s elections bureaucracy and court system, Democratic nominee Christine Jennings moved Wednesday to get Congress officially involved in her vote-counting dispute with the state-certified winner, Republican Vern Buchanan.

~snip~

And because the Republican-controlled 109th Congress has already completed its work, the committee will have a new Democratic majority after the 110th Congress is installed Jan. 4.

~snip~

While Jennings’ complaint now officially rests in the hands of the House committee, the conflict over the election’s outcome creates an even more pressing situation for incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and other House Democratic leaders: whether to seat Buchanan as the certified winner in Florida 13.

The House will be forced to make this choice if a single member challenges Buchanan’s right to the seat. The members would then have to choose between seating Buchanan unconditionally, seating Buchanan conditionally “pending the outcome of an investigation” or leaving the seat vacant pending resolution of the dispute, according to a Congressional Research Service report.

A House resolution not to seat Buchanan would be put to a vote before the Democratic-controlled chamber.

[BlackRazor]

This is a couple days old, but I didn't say anything posted about the official challenge.

[italianquaker]

but allen concedes right away, what a macaca

[RexBeach]

How close was this election? If the GOP fellow is the state certified winner, isn't that enough to establish who gets the House seat?

[FlipWilson]

This is the dems new program to ensure they never lose power again. Any election result they don't like, they just contest, get the full chamber to vote on it (which will be controlled by them at the time, bet on it, i.e. even if the Republicans win the dems will do this in the lame duck session) and bam, the dems never lose. Coup d'etat made easy as one, two, Pelosi.

[VeniVidiVici]

Wednesday also marked the second day of court proceedings in the case in a state courtroom in Tallahassee, where Jennings has sought access to the voting machines’ electronic source codes from Election Systems & Software, the maker of the iVotronic machines used in Sarasota County

Not unbelievable. We knew the RATS were going to do this this election had they lost and the seats decided by close margins.

And Jennings sued on the one basis that they knew would not be ruled for in their favor: the source code for the machines. Guaranteeing this to be dragged out.

I especially love the Professor who testified on her behalf saying that based on the results of other precints, had there been votes she would have won.

Unbelievable - the Democrats are now convinced they should win seats based on votes that don't even exist.

[Vigilanteman]

369 votes, about 0.2%

[Kuksool]

So in words if the RAT base stays home, then they should count anyway. By that logic, we shouldn't have lost Congress.

[FlipWilson]

I am not clear on the numbers but think that this election was decided by about 400 or so votes. There were about 10K undervotes. The dems are trying to claim that undervotes (where no vote was cast for either candidate) were 1) unusually high, i.e. the machines were faulty; 2) and really should be counted for the democrat (of course).

Now the kickers. The amount of undervotes in this district were pretty much right on with the norm. The undervotes happened in heavily Republican Sarasota County. Finally, there was a bloody Republican primary with a large number of candidates. As a result, many Republican voted, but not in the house race.

As the article says, all the dem candidate has to do is contest this. The House determines whether it will seat a candidate or not. If it investigates and finds that the candidate should not be seated, it can take a vote and voila, whoever it chooses will be seated. This has happened before, but even then the dem candidate lost by single digit votes. But the entire Republican caucus walked out in protest nonetheless.

In my opinion, what is happening to Buchanan should be of parmount concern to most Freepers. Yes, we know the dems like to accuse the Repubs of stealing elections while they are the one's doing it. Yes, we know the dems have made a habit of this. But this case is much different. This is Pelosi setting up a mechanism whereby the dems can and will nullify national election results. Its the next step up from what we witnessed in Wa State, with a BIG difference. Here, they aren't even trying to manufacture votes anymore. They tried that and failed. Instead, they are simply nullifying an election with the rationale of "cause we say so."

Now the hypothetical. Lets say the Republicans do have a comeback in '08. If they win by five seats, will Pelosi and Company simply nullify those elections?

[wastedyears]

Democrats have logic?

[Kuksool]

Congress also makes the Presidential race official. If Rudy or McCain win the White House and Congress remains in RAT hands, then the RATS simply install Hillary as the Queen of America.

[KellyAdmirer]

This is Florida, and the issue is undervotes. I see liberal revenge for 2000 looming. Unless sanity prevails. Maybe.

[fhlh]

hmmmm this is legal?
So in the end, Congress can simply override the will of the people??

[N. Theknow]

I am not clear on the numbers but think that this election was decided by about 400 or so votes. There were about 10K undervotes. The dems are trying to claim that undervotes (where no vote was cast for either candidate) were 1) unusually high, i.e. the machines were faulty; 2) and really should be counted for the democrat (of course).

They also tested the machines and found them to be working properly. No mistakes.

So this female Goron wants the source code to see how the machines can "fake" being right when they are malfunctioning?

Good thing it wasn't some inner city district or we would be hearing about disenfranchised blacks being kept away from voting by police cars, dogs and strange aircraft.

[FlipWilson]

Quote: "So in the end, Congress can simply override the will of the people??"

Yes. So the logical question, why haven't they before? The answer, because our system and constitution have had the respect of those we elect to congress. They understood that in order for the system to work, it was necessary for them to obey the rules and to ensure the peaceful transition of power. Now, there is a party that thinks it is above the rules and must do what is necessary for the good of the people as only they, the enlightened ones, can.