Election 2006

FL-13: Dem Sends Shot across The Bow

Paul Kiel | January 8, 2007, 11:26AM

If there was any doubts as to whether Democrats would take a hands-on approach to the election dispute in Florida's 13th District, Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA) resolved them late last week.

Millender-McDonald, the Chairwoman of the committee in charge of handling Democrat Christine Jennings' challenge of the election results, sent a pointed letter last Thursday to the Florida appeals court hearing the case, warning that if the courts did not adequately investigate the case, then Congress would be forced to get involved.

In February, the appeals court will decide whether to uphold a lower court's ruling preventing Jennings from examining the voting machines' source code as part of her election contest. Jennings' lawyers, who've offered testimony from dozens of voters about problems with the machines and say they could offer hundreds more, say they need access to the source code in order to adequately investigate the cause of the problems.

In the letter, Millender-McDonald wrote that her "Committee is closely following the course of the litigation now underway in Florida" and that it was "of concern" that Jennings hadn't received access "to the hardware and software (including the source code) needed to test the contestant's central claim: voting machine malfunction."

"[R]esolution of these issues may obviate the need for the House to address them," the Chairwoman noted.

Election 2006

FL-13: GOPer's Wife Had Voting Troubles

Paul Kiel | January 4, 2007, 3:19PM

Well, well, well. Another wrinkle in the post-election battle down in Florida's 13th District.

Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) has taken every opportunity to blast Democrat Christine Jennings for challenging the results of November's election in the district, even accusing her of "destroying democracy." But now it turns out that his own wife came to him about her own voting problems on Election Day.

"Mrs. Sandy Buchanan indicated on November 7, 2006 that she had difficulty registering her vote for Buchanan. [Vern Buchanan] did not respond to this complaint as the period for voting had nearly ended," reads a recent court filing by Buchanan (you can read it here). A memo by Buchanan's spokeswoman also turned over to Jennings as part of a court filing gives more detail:

"...on Election Day... Mrs. Buchanan indicated that she had to hit the button more than once, I think she said three times -- to record her vote for Mr. Buchanan."

Jennings has cited the testimony of hundreds of Sarasota County voters who had difficulties voting just like Sandy Buchanan to buffer her contention that electronic machine glitches cost her the election.

Election 2006

In Calif., GOP Tricksters Get Probation

Paul Kiel | January 4, 2007, 10:49AM

From the AP:

Two signature gatherers charged with tricking Orange County voters into registering as Republicans were sentenced to three years’ probation....

According to prosecutors, the recruiters went to shopping malls and campuses and asked residents to sign petitions for lower taxes or stricter sex offender laws, then tricked them into signing voter registration cards for the Republican party. The registration drive paid up to $10 per registrant.