PRESS RELEASE
House Democrats Will Object To
Seating Republican in Florida Dispute
Jan. 1, 2007 (EIRNS)—The move, led by Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.), won't prevent the swearing in of Republican Vern Buchanan, but it will put the House on record as supporting the challenge of Buchanan's Democratic opponent, Christine Jennings. Holt, who has been the House Democrats' point man on the flaws of electronic voting machines, said that "The evidence will show that a revote is necessary." Buchanan was declared the winner in Florida's 13th Congressional District by 369 votes in a race that saw 18,000 undervotes, that is, 18,000 fewer votes for Congress than for candidates in other races on the ballot.
Holt's move takes on special significance because of a development that occurred after Jennings announced that she would not object to Buchanan's temporary swearing-in: Late Dec. 29, the Florida Circuit Court judge ruled that Jennings could not examine the code of the ES&S machines that were used in the Florida race. The stakes of such an examination are high, because these machines are used by 40 percent of U.S. voters. Jennings announced that she will immediately appeal the Circuit Judge's ruling, in addition to pursuing her challenge in the U.S. House Administration Committee. Jennings stated: "The secrecy and question marks surrounding electronic voting are creating a real crisis among America's voters, and the only way to resolve this is by conducting a thorough review by outside experts."
