diff --git a/tools/test/pylint.py b/tools/test/pylint.py
index cae95ca02b..9fc43ae18b 100644
--- a/tools/test/pylint.py
+++ b/tools/test/pylint.py
@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@ def execute_pylint(filename):
     process = subprocess.Popen(
         ["pylint", filename],
         stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
-        stderr=subprocess.PIPE
+        stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
+        universal_newlines=True
     )
     stout, sterr = process.communicate()
     status = process.poll()