Our SOS Jennifer Brunner received the Profile in Courage award

[OhioBlue]

from the Kennedy Library last week.

...The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award is presented annually to public servants who have made courageous decisions of conscience without regard for the personal or professional consequences. The award is named for President Kennedy’s 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Profiles in Courage, which recounts the stories of eight U.S. senators who risked their careers, incurring the wrath of constituents or powerful interest groups, by taking principled stands for unpopular positions. The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation created the Profile in Courage Award™ in 1989 to honor President Kennedy’s commitment and contribution to public service. It is presented in May in celebration of President Kennedy’s May 29th birthday. The Profile in Courage Award is represented by a sterling-silver lantern symbolizing a beacon of hope. The lantern was designed by Edwin Schlossberg and crafted by Tiffany & Co....

Jennifer Brunner
Secretary of State, Ohio
A series of voting irregularities in several major Ohio counties that use electronic voting systems led newly elected Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to order that paper ballots be provided to any voter who requested one during the state’s March 2008 presidential primary. Furthermore, after a study of the state’s new electronic voting systems – just two years old and representing millions in public investment – found that the systems made by several major voting machine manufacturers could be compromised, Brunner called for the replacement of all of the state’s electronic voting systems with paper ballots and optical scan technology before the November 2008 presidential election. Brunner’s proposal brought pointed and persistent criticism from partisans around the state; opponents of the move objected to the cost and questioned the necessity of returning to paper ballots.


http://www.jfklibrary.org/Education+and+Public+Programs/Profile+in+Courage+Award/Award+Recipients/Jennifer+Brunner/Award+Announcement.htm

Way to go Jennifer Brunner!!

As many of you know, I volunteered for her campaign in '06. I signed up in May of '05 before she even announced. She ran a very professional campaign and held several training sessions for us. I was very proud when she won.

I'm still very proud of her. She has continued to make efforts to improve the integrity of our voting system even when she has faced a great deal of opposition. After she won, her campaign sent out an e-mail thanking all of the volunteers for their efforts. I replied with the comment that it was my pleasure to work on the campaign and would do it again. I also asked that as SOS she take a hard look at the Boards of Elections in Counties that have been a bit of an embarrassment and study the electronic voting machines. She has definitely done that.

Way to go Jen!!

[MeDeMax]

1. I feel great pride in the work Jen does

she has not shied away from a single tough decision.

She has truly raised the bar for the office of SOS.

A well deserved award !

[ladym55]

2. Did the Ohio press give this much coverage?

The only thing I remember reading about it in Ohio was an email from Brunner's office.

However, I was actually in Massachusetts when she was there for the award. It was cool to see her picture in the Boston Globe and to hear her name mentioned on the local news as a recipient of the award.

[peace13]

3. Great job!

She is the one bright star in Ohio. If we could get to paper ballot now that would be even better.