Secretary of state is right to pursue election review

At first glance, it would seem that Ohio's new secretary of state, Jennifer Brunner, is being too heavy-handed in her demand that all four board members of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections resign.
But a close look at what has been going on in one Ohio's largest elections systems reveals systemic problems that cannot be ignored.
Indeed, the convictions of two former board employees who conducted a fraudulent recount make it impossible for Brunner, a Democrat, not to investigate what has been taking place in Cuyahoga County.
By seeking the resignation of the board members, the secretary of state threw down the gauntlet -- which two of the four picked up. The other two, Edward C. Coaxum Jr. and Loree K. Soggs, both Democrats, quit last week, acknowledging that it was time for new leadership.
The remaining two, however, ignored the deadline for their resignations set by Brunner, which means they will become parties to legal action. They are Republicans Robert Bennett and Sally Florkiewicz. Bennett is the outspoken chairman and head of the Ohio Republican Party.
The secretary of state has said those who did not resign would face termination hearings, which she controls.
It is to be hoped that the hearings do not get derailed by personality clashes and partisan bickering. The problems confronting Ohio's elections system are real, as the 2004 presidential contest clearly showed.
Rallying cry
Indeed, the state's performance has become a rallying cry for national organizations working to remove any impediments to voting and to establish a procedure whereby there is a paper trail of votes cast with the electronic voting system.
But even with all the controversy that surrounded the 2004 election, boards of elections around the state are still not operating flawlessly.
In Cuyahoga County, there are allegations of criminal wrongdoing in last November's election, including whether there were security violations in the scanning of absentee ballots the day before the election.
The same prosecutor who won the convictions against the two former board employees has been appointed by the secretary of state to investigate the allegations.
Prosecutor Bill Mason has appointed Erie County Prosecutor Kevin Baxter to investigate.
It is telling that board member Bennett, the state GOP chairman, is blaming assistant county Prosecutor Reno Oradini, who is assigned to the elections board, for failing to bring to the board's attention recount irregularities. Bennett has said he would file a complaint accusing Oradini with failing to discharge his duties as a lawyer. He added he may extend the complaint to Mason, a leading Democrat in Cleveland.
Bennett's attempt to deflect responsibility is not surprising, given his position, but it is not persuasive.
The Republican chairman will have the opportunity to defend his position during the termination hearings.
And Brunner will have a forum to tell Ohioans what she has found to be wrong with the way elections are conducted in Ohio and how she intends to solve the myriad problems.