Ohio Officials Begin Voting Machine Fight

[Freddie Stubbs]

Top Ohio Officials Begin Dispute Over Voting Machine Choices As Deadline Approaches for Counties
By JOE DANBORN
The Associated Press
Feb. 9, 2005 - Ohio's attorney general and its secretary of state launched a dispute over voting machines on Tuesday, the day before counties are required to submit their machine choices.

Attorney General Jim Petro issued a written opinion Tuesday saying Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell did not have the authority to order counties to use one type of voting machine. Petro said the choice is up to the counties.

Blackwell said the statement Tuesday contradicted what Petro told him in the past. Carlo LoParo, a spokesman for the secretary of state, said Blackwell's order last month requiring elections officials in Ohio's 88 counties to pick between two types of optical-scan machines "carries the weight of law, and he expects that to be complied with."

Blackwell and Petro are seeking the Republican nomination for governor.

more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=483344

[SharonRB]

1. Republicans eating their own...

I love to see them fighting each other.

[liberal N proud]

3. Like a cat fight only this time it is repukes.

[CanOfWhoopAss]

4. Blackwell served his purpose.

Kinda like wiping your @$$ with sh!t paper. Flush him when you're done.

[Pam-Moby]

2. Notice that optical scan machines

are the only choice. The repugs have it down pact how to manipulate the vote using this type of voting machine. I believe that we need to have deeper investigation into machines that are less prone to tampering with and votes can be verified more accurately!!!!

[KaliTracy]

5. Petro is running for Governor too -- and has more $$ than Blackwell

also -- I think the reason it came down to Optiscan was to limit the choice of vendors (another vendor is sueing that doesn't currently have optiscan, but I'm not sure which one). While there might be other vendors out there, he's only allowing Optiscans from Diebold or ES&S.