City's Selection to "Investigate" Sunshine Violations

Veterans Protest Herron Involvement in Recount, Warn Against Disenfranchising Military Voters
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Sally Tibbetts

Sarasota, Florida --Veterans for Vern Buchanan today protested the involvement of Tallahassee attorney Mark Herron in the current recount, expressed concern that Christine Jennings will try to disenfranchise United States military voters, and called on Jennings to concede. Recent reports indicate that Tallahassee attorney Mark Herron is representing Jennings in the current recount. Herron is the Florida attorney who led the Democrat's efforts to disqualify legitimate overseas and military ballots cast in the 2000 Presidential Election.

"This is a slap in the face to all veterans who have sacrificed to defend this nation," said retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Rich Swier of Sarasota. "It is time for Christine Jennings to concede. Instead, she has involved in this process an attorney who worked to deny the men and women of the United States Armed Forces - the soldiers on the front line of the effort to defend this nation and promote freedom and democracy - their constitutional right to vote."

"The votes have been counted and recounted and will be counted again," said retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Lee Kichen of Sarasota. "Vern Buchanan is the Congressman-elect. Rather than concede, Christine Jennings has brought in out-of-town lawyers in a shameful attempt disenfranchise those who serve to guarantee our freedom and democracy. As a veteran, I call on Jennings to send her lawyers packing, concede this race, and for us to get on with the business of the people. "

In November 2000, Mark Herron crafted a plan for Democrat attorneys for how they could attack ballots cast by military voters. Armed with Herron's "how to" manual, Democrat attorneys argued to canvassing boards throughout the state that military ballots should be rejected and not counted. The Herron memo caused an uproar among both Republican and Democrat leaders alike and even then Vice-Presidential candidate Sen. Joe Lieberman called on Democrats to give military voters the benefit of any doubt as to whether the ballots should be accepted.

Recount results this week confirmed Congressman-elect Vern Buchanan's election night victory over Christine Jennings. In fact, the Elections Canvassing Commission has confirmed that Buchanan has increased his margin of victory from 368 to 401.

Veterans will be on hand as Military and overseas ballots cast in the congressional race are scheduled to be tallied on Friday at 4:00 p.m. at the Supervisor of Elections office on Ringling in Sarasota.