Voter system still flawed, study says

The secretary of state said she agrees with much of the report.

COLUMBUS (AP) — A yearlong analysis of election systems in five Midwestern states found Ohio in the worst shape, still riddled with practical problems and perceptions of partisanship heading into the 2008 presidential election.

Despite reforms attempted since 2004, Ohio is “a poster child for reform,” according to the study of elections processes — from registration through vote-counting — in Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota by researchers at Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law.

Report authors previewed their findings at a meeting of journalists and election officials in Chicago on Monday. A formal release of the report was to take place in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

The report recommends replacing Ohio’s elected chief elections officer with a nonpartisan elections director and creating a bipartisan election administration committee to create more uniform election policies. It also proposes creating nonpartisan tribunals to resolve election disputes in lieu of the all-Republican Ohio Supreme Court.

Lingering election problems in Cuyahoga County, more than 20 outstanding election-related lawsuits, confusion caused by sudden and sometimes conflicting procedural directives and a voter registration database that’s not up to federal standards are among other problems the study identified.

Researchers gathered data on the states’ election laws and procedures, then solicited feedback from election administrators and other involved parties, consulted the latest academic research and reviewed election-related lawsuits.

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said Ohio voters rejected a push in 2005 to eliminate the secretary of state’s job and create a bipartisan commission. Still, she said, she agrees with much of what appears in the report and has started taking steps to correct some of the problems.

Former Secretary of State Ken Blackwell served as an honorary co-chair of President Bush’s re-election campaign in Ohio in 2004 and also helped lead a statewide ballot issue to ban gay marriage that was credited with turning out additional social conservatives likely to support Bush over John Kerry.

But Blackwell was not alone in using the secretary of state’s post for partisan gain, said Dan Tokaji, associate director of Election Law at Moritz.

Brunner has also had significant influence over the election process, Tokaji said.

“I don’t think Blackwell’s administration was an aberration,” Tokaji said. “It may have been one of the most visible examples, but one thing our report finds is that there are problems with partisan elections officials all over the country.”