It's not over in the 13th District

They're still fighting over in Sarasota over the hotly contested congressional election between Christine Jennings (D) and Vern Buchanan (R), and it's not going to end before the 110th Congress is sworn in next week.

A disputed election result in a House of Representatives race in Florida will be one of the first items raised when the Democratic-controlled House convenes next week, injecting partisan politics into the start of the 110th Congress.

Rep. Rush Holt, a New Jersey Democrat who has pushed for better safeguards on electronic voting machines, said on Friday that he will make a procedural point to establish that the swearing-in of Florida Republican Vern Buchanan does not prejudice ongoing challenges by his Democratic opponent, Christine Jennings.

"This is a district, Sarasota area in Florida, where there's no way of knowing whether the result presented by Florida's secretary of state is valid. In fact, I think there is significant evidence that it is not," Holt told reporters.

Buchanan was certified the winner of the November 7 election by a 369-vote margin. But oddly, about 18,000 ballots in Sarasota County had no votes recorded for the disputed House race, while other races on those same ballots were voted upon.

A re-vote is not out of the question, so stay tuned. It looks like Buchanan will be sworn in, but Jennings' legal challenges can continue.

Once again, the nation watches and waits to see if Florida has any fucking clue on how to conduct an election.