17 counties to receive absentee applications

Brunner says there isn’t enough money for all counties to participate.

COLUMBUS (AP) — The rapidly deteriorating relationship between Republican lawmakers and Ohio’s Democratic elections chief means some voters will get an absentee ballot application in the mail in early September, while others won’t.

Voters in 17 of Ohio’s 88 counties will receive an application for an absentee ballot. Everyone else will have to request one if they want to vote by mail.

That disparity is not what officials wanted. But because of politics and a lack of communication between Republicans — especially House Speaker Jon Husted — and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, it’s what they got.

Brunner and Republicans have clashed on appointments to county elections boards, whether to replace touch-screen voting machines, and over a weeklong period between Sept. 30 and Oct. 6 in which voters can register and cast a ballot on the same day.

The political backdrop to these disputes is Brunner’s seat on the state Apportionment Board, a target for Republicans because the board draws state legislative districts every 10 years.

Husted is widely viewed as a possible candidate for secretary of state in 2010.

“I don’t have any doubt that the Republicans are gunning for that seat in 2010, in large part because of the seat on the Apportionment Board,” said Dan Tokaji, an elections law professor at The Ohio State University. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that all of their complaints are unjustified.”

The riff over mailings for absentee ballot applications is the latest episode in a sour relationship.

Republicans said they intended all counties to offer the mailings when they passed legislation in June providing $3 million to cover the costs of postage. But Brunner said Republicans didn’t consult her.

Brunner told the counties in late July the mailings would be optional because there wouldn’t be enough money to go around if all counties participated, forcing some counties to comply using local money they may not have. She said there would be a state funding gap between $3 million to $5 million.

Republicans were indignant, saying there was enough money and that Brunner had ignored their intent to make the mailings uniform across Ohio. It was akin to disenfranchisement of voters in small, rural counties that couldn’t afford to do the mailing with their own money, they said. A few counties, including Franklin, have chosen to mail the absentee applications along with a required notice of election to all of their voters in previous elections.

Brunner didn’t change her mind, and this week Republicans countered.

Husted wrote a letter to county elections boards telling them Brunner hadn’t followed the Legislature’s instructions and all counties should mail the absentee ballot applications. The Legislature would reimburse their costs if the money did run out, the letter said.

“They can go around the secretary of state’s decision,” Husted said in an interview. “We are eliminating all of the excuses she is making. Why does she want to prevent people from getting access to absentee ballots?”

The timing of the letter just days before the Sept. 5 deadline for applications to be mailed left counties with almost no room to maneuver, however.

“While we appreciate the gesture, most of our printing orders have already been submitted,” said Aaron Ockerman, lobbyist for the Ohio Association of Election Officials.

To cancel original orders and add a new one that combines election notices and absentee ballot applications would cost extra money, Ockerman said.

Ockerman said he’s heard of only one county that is putting plans on hold to see how the spat over the absentee ballot applications would play out in the coming days.

Brunner said she would make the mailings mandatory if the Legislature would commit to putting more money forward before Sept. 5. But the chances of the Legislature coming back into session before then are almost none.

Brunner’s office knows of only 17 counties that are sending the absentee applications.

“It’s appalling that House Speaker Husted has attempted a possible ‘go around’ on Secretary Brunner, calling on boards of elections to ignore her directive regarding an unclear, underfunded legislative mandate,” said Brunner spokesman Patrick Gallaway. “Secretary Brunner has acted in good faith to make the best of what we were handed by the General Assembly.”

Republicans said their instructions were clear.