Hardin elections board to comply with change

COLUMBUS (AP) — A county elections board that previously voted against complying with an elections directive from Ohio’s top elections official has changed its vote.

The Hardin County Board of Elections voted 3-1 Wednesday night to comply with Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner’s demand that counties using touch-screen voting machines have a certain number of paper ballots available for the March primary. After a previous 3-1 vote against Brunner’s directive, she sent the board a letter asking for compliance.

By November, Brunner wants all 57 counties that use touch-screen machines to switch to a system in which paper ballots are read by machines. The majority of Ohio’s local election officials say they are resistant to this change.