Thursday, November 16, 2006

Dems Consider Bringing FL-13 Decision To Congress

Democrats are considering taking the decision over Florida Congressional District 13 to the House of Representatives. The St.Pete Times is reporting that Democratic staffers have been sent to Sarasota to oversee the recount.

If a recount in Sarasota fails to award Democrat Christine Jennings a seat
in Congress, she has a final recourse: The newly Democratic-controlled U.S.
House.

A little-known provision in the U.S. Constitution gives the House the
final decision on who sits in its chamber.

House staffers have already been dispatched to Sarasota to monitor the recounts, and both candidates —Jennings and Republican Vern Buchanan — say they are aware that a disputed election could be appealed to Washington.


FL Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz has taken up Jennings cause. Schultz has also acknowledged that Democrats are exploring the Constitutional route.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a South Florida Democrat working with Jennings, said she hopes it wouldn’t come to that, but she wouldn’t rule out anything that would help determine if voters were disenfranchised.


“All options are on the table,’’ she said. “We’re going to explore any available
option.”


This could prove to be one of the first knock-down-drag-out fights of the new Congress. We'll keep an eye on it.

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