Jennings Applauds Independent Testing of District 13 Voting Machines

SARASOTA, FL - Christine Jennings today released the following statement on the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) findings that new testing is necessary to determine if machine failure caused the 18,000 undervote in Florida's District 13 and the decision by the Congressional Task Force investigating the election contest to proceed with independent testing:

"Today marks a significant step for the voters of District 13 and the integrity of elections across our nation. After a thorough review of the existing tests, the GAO - a non-partisan and independent agency - has shown that the previous testing was insufficient and independent tests are necessary to find out what happened in the 2006 election.

"I am pleased that by standing with the voters of District 13 and fighting to make our concerns heard, we have accomplished this important step for reliable elections. Everyone in this country should be confident that the vote they cast was counted, and today's decision to independently test the voting machines of Sarasota County will help bring closure to this situation."