The Cuyahoga Rough Writers Blog

Gov. Strickland Continues Bad Elections Practice

Gov. Strickland, yesterday, vetoed legislation that would stop the dangerous and costly elections law, nicknamed the golden week.  The golden week refers to the ability for a voter to register and vote in one day during a one week window.

(Plain Dealer) -- Gov. Ted Strickland made good on his vow as he vetoed a trio of bills passed by Republican state lawmakers in the closing days of the 2008 session.

The Democrat struck down measures that would have brought changes to Ohio's election process, given a cash bonus to veterans of the Persian Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq from the state's rainy day fund, and granted a tax credit to companies filming movies in Ohio.

Most sweeping was the election legislation that Republican lawmakers touted as needed election reforms but that many Democrats opposed as rushed. One key change sought by Republicans: Eliminating a weeklong window where residents can register and vote on the spot at county boards of election. Strickland's veto message said that the issues covered by the bill were "too complex and controversial to properly address in a lame-duck session" and that some provisions were "overbroad" and a potential gateway to costly lawsuits.

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a fellow Democrat, said she supported Strickland's veto. In a statement, she said that "the best way to craft these rules is by thoughtful, inclusive and deliberative debate." Her office plans a forum in early March to craft solutions to problems stemming from the 2008 election.

Strickland's veto message on the veterans bonuses reiterated his preference for using bond sales for the bonuses. Rep. Jay Hottinger, a Newark Republican, immediately issued a release noting that Strickland's approach would cost about $15 million to $20 million more than paying cash.

***

See Full Plain Dealer Article

Ohio Republicans Vote To Remove "Golden Week" To Stop Election Fraud

The Republican-controlled Ohio Senate approved a bill Tuesday that eliminates a weeklong window during which people can register and vote on the same day.

The 19-11 vote came over the objections of Gov. Ted Strickland, elections chief Jennifer Brunner and other Democrats, who have said voter convenience is being removed without evidence that the window created problems.

Supporters of the bill have said same-day registration and voting invites fraud.

If passed by the House and signed into law, the bill would eliminate the window by changing the dates when absentee ballots will be made available to early voters.

State Sen. Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican who sponsored the bill, said it is impossible to know whether fraud occurred in November because Brunner blocked access to some of the identifying voter information needed to do cross-checks. About 13,000 people registered and voted on the same day.

Brunner spokesman Jeff Ortega said county boards of elections have always had access to the mismatch information, just not in the format that some might want.

The bill was hastily written and needlessly complicated, Ortega said.

The GOP-controlled House was to continue hearings on the bill today.

***

See Full Plain Dealer Article

McCain In Cleveland While Ohio SOS Brunner Is Playing Politics

(Plain Dealer) Republican presidential candidate John McCain will campaign in Middleburg Heights, Strongsville and Berea on Tuesday, making stops at a tool-and-die maker, a construction site and Baldwin-Wallace College.

See Full Plain Dealer Article

***

(AP) - An adviser to John McCain's presidential bid is suing Ohio's elections chief, saying requests to vote by mail are not being honored.

William Todd, a lawyer helping the Republican campaign on ballot issues, filed suit in Columbus on Monday. He argues that Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has been unfairly rejecting voters' applications for absentee ballots.

In the lawsuit, voters Paul Doucher and Deloris Eagle say they wanted to vote by mail, as allowed by law. But they did not check a box that indicated they are qualified voters.

Brunner has said without a check mark, the applications are unacceptable.

Republicans printed the applications and say the box was not required.

Brunner's office had no immediate comment on the suit.

***

Ohio Republican Party Response's to Ohio Secretary of State's partisan antics...

Ohio Republican Party Deputy Chairman Kevin DeWine issued the following statement today regarding comments made by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner on a lawsuit challenging her illegal same-day registration directive:

"The law is clear.  An Ohioan must be registered to vote for at least 30 days before receiving an absentee ballot.  Jennifer Brunner can twist and contort those facts to appease her party's political agenda, but she can't change the law.

Secretary Brunner's statement contains numerous factual inaccuracies, not the least of which is the continued reference to this lawsuit as being filed by the Ohio Republican Party.  This challenge was brought by citizen plaintiffs who believe her directive is illegal and damaging to the integrity of Ohio's elections system.  She also makes the absurd accusation that the lawsuit will prevent some Ohioans from voting.  We will fight to ensure that every qualified voter has access to a ballot in this election, including the thousands of Republicans being turned away from the absentee voting process by Jennifer Brunner."

***

See More ORP News

Brunner Playing Politics With November Elections

(Plain Dealer) The Democratic secretary of state offered a truce in her battle with state Republican leaders over thousands of GOP absentee-ballot requests that she says are invalid because they lack a certain checked box.

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner on Friday offered to contact thousands of voters who filled out an absentee application mailed to them by Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain's campaign but forgot to check a box stating they are a "qualified elector."

Brunner said the voters would be given a chance to correct the mistake by visiting her office's Web site. Or county boards of elections could choose to handle the problem locally. Details would come by mail.

Republicans said no thanks.

This is a lame and pathetic attempt to try to cover her partisan actions that were aimed at disenfranchising Republican voters," said Ohio Republican Party Deputy Chairman Kevin DeWine.

"The last thing I want is for her to be responsible for contacting the voters and resolving whatever concerns they have with their ballot forms," he said.

Absentee-ballot applications do not have to be uniform but must contain key information such as name, address, an identifying feature like a driver's license number and a declaration that the voter is a qualified elector.

The McCain camp drew up its own form and mailed copies this month to registered Republicans. The form has a qualified elector statement with a box next to it.

Brunner last week instructed county boards of election to reject applications that do not have the box checked...

DeWine wants the secretary to tell county officials to accept the applications with or without the box checked.

Also Friday, the GOP followed through on its threat to sue Brunner over her plans to allow same-day registering and absentee voting in the first week of October.

DeWine said the law requires a person to be registered for 30 days before voting. 

***

See Full Plain Dealer Article

Brunner Allows Same Day Registration

COLUMBUS - Ohio Republican Party Deputy Chairman Kevin DeWine called today on Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to adopt a clear and uniform statewide directive prohibiting same day voter registration. Brunner issued a directive on Wednesday allowing boards of elections to immediately issue an absentee ballot to any voter who registers within a seven-day window from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6, illegally creating a loophole in the election system that allows same day registration in Ohio. "The Ohio Revised Code is very clear on this issue," DeWine said.  "You must be a qualified elector for a period of 30 days before engaging in the voting process.  Ohio has never been a same day registration state, and the law requires a waiting period to allow for adequate verification of a voter's registration.  The legislature did not create this problem.  Jennifer Brunner created it by issuing a directive that defies a law that's been on the books for years." Brunner's directive clearly violates the 30-day waiting period and puts an undue burden on county elections officials to validate registrations in an unreasonable amount of time.  The potential for fraud resulting from same day registration is well documented. In Wisconsin, a task force recently found that more than 5,000 same day registration cards were returned or unverifiable.  They also found more than 100 instances of double voting, including individuals who voted multiple times, under fictitious names and/or addresses, and in the names of the deceased. In Montana two years ago, same day registration resulted in long lines that kept election administrators so busy registering voters that they could not handle their other administrative duties. Election officials in Washington State last year opposed same day registration, arguing that it would weaken the integrity of the system because they could not verify who was eligible to vote until after the election was certified. "Democrats want to make this an argument over disenfranchisement, but that's a tired line that has absolutely no merit," DeWine said.  "This is about rejecting a very dangerous precedent created by allowing same day registration.  It's about protecting the safeguards built into our election system to ensure voter confidence. It's about defending the intent of the law.  And it's about exposing a troubling partisan agenda aimed at creating an illegal loophole that defies the will of the people." DeWine added that, contrary to Democrat arguments, it is Republicans who are enfranchising voters in Ohio by expanding access to absentee voting and empowering millions of Ohioans to vote from the comfort of their own home.  "We will defend every qualified voter's right to cast a ballot, but we will not stand by and allow Democrats to create illegal loopholes that allow the system to be exploited," DeWine said.  "We are asking the Secretary of State to revoke her previous directive and issue a clear and uniform statewide standard prohibiting same day registration.  She indicated in news reports today that she intends to provide further clarification on this issue.  I am asking her to reconsider the law, which is very clear on this requirement." __________________________________ FOR THE RECORD:  Ohio is not a same day registration state. Ohio law requires that a voter wait 30 days before becoming a qualified elector and engaging in the voting process: Every citizen of the United States who is of the age of eighteen years or over and who has been a resident of the state thirty days immediately preceding the election at which the citizen offers to vote, is a resident of the county and precinct in which the citizen offers to vote, and has been registered to vote for thirty days, has the qualifications of an elector and may vote at all elections in the precinct in which the citizen resides.  (ORC 3503.01) Ohio law clearly requires that a voter must be a qualified elector before engaging in the absentee voting process. Any qualified elector may vote by absent voter's ballots at an election. (ORC 3509.02a) # # #