State Republicans bristling at decisions

LIMA - A state Republican official is taking issue with a directive of Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner instructing elections boards to not process vote-by-mail request cards sent out by John McCain's presidential campaign.

During a visit to Lima on Monday, Kevin DeWine, deputy director of the Ohio Republican Party, said the decision by Brunner, a Democrat, to not process the cards if the applicant failed to check a box is super-technical.

"We think it's bogus. In this case, there is no controlling state law," DeWine said. "The information that is required by state law: the statement that says you're a qualified elector, name, address, last four of your Social, driver's license and the signature" are there.

DeWine said it's an effort to make it difficult for Republican voters.

"This is all being done under a secretary of state who campaigned that she would be different. She wouldn't wear the jersey of one of the teams," DeWine said. "What we're finding over the 18 months she's been in office is that she is in fact wearing the jersey of one of the teams."

DeWine said the move could disenfranchise tens of thousands of Republican voters.

DeWine also criticized a decision by Brunner to allow same-day registration and absentee ballot voting. Ohio Republicans are arguing that Ohio law requires voters to have been registered for 30 days before they can cast an absentee ballot.

A federal judge in Cleveland on Monday upheld Brunner's ruling.

"The 35-day window where absentee ballots have to be ready and the 30-day mark where voter registration ends thus creating what she interprets to be this six-day window where somebody can register and receive an absentee ballot has existed in state law since 1980," DeWine said. "Ken Blackwell didn't interpret it this way. Bob Taft didn't interpret it this way. Sherrod Brown didn't interpret it this way. She is, in our opinion, at the very least misinterpreting state law, at the worst she is creating a partisan advantage and opportunity that benefits her party and her presidential candidate."