Voting Hijinks in Florida

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 3:50 pm

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- State officials Monday certified Republican Vern Buchanan won the House seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Katherine Harris, though the loser immediately sued for a new election, arguing that touch-screen voting machines had malfunctioned.

Democrat Christine Jennings contested her 369-vote loss in the 13th District, asking a judge to order a new election because of problems in Sarasota County, where more than 17,000 voters who cast ballots in other races Nov. 7 failed to vote in the congressional contest.

That rate is nearly six times higher than in the other counties in the congressional district or on Sarasota's paper absentee ballots, Jennings alleges in her legal challenge. Though she lost in the other four counties in the district, Jennings did well in Sarasota County, winning there by a 6 percentage point margin.

Jennings' lawyer, Kendall Coffey, said the "statistical evidence is based on numbers that cannot be seriously questioned." He said there were also eyewitness accounts of voting problems.

Buchanan, a wealthy auto dealer, said there was no evidence of machine malfunctions. He attributed the huge Sarasota undervote to angry voters turned off by negative campaigning.

"I guess the theory is if you don't win, sue," Buchanan said, urging Jennings to concede and "stop listening to the high-price lawyers and out-of-town special interest groups."

The lawsuit is not Jennings' final option. She also could appeal the results to the House, which will be under Democratic control next year.

Read the rest here.

Betsy · Post by **Betsy** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 4:27 pm

Here in Benton County, after the election was over they found hundreds of votes that hadn't been counted because of electronic voter machine malfunction. I also read where someone had voted for themself, so they knew they got ONE vote, yet when the results came out they'd gotten ZERO votes. Probably no election made it through unscathed by electronic voter machine mishaps.

Barbara Fitzpatrick · Post by **Barbara Fitzpatrick** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 1:20 pm

When they recounted the Benton Co vote, it turned a couple of elections - unfortunately to Rs. However, this country "cannot long endure" rigged elections. No matter who wins, the vote has to be honest. I'd be with the FL person asking for a new election no matter who won. Disappearance of 17000 votes basically says there was no election for 17000 people.