Ohio Voters Reject Brunner's Attempt at Technology Fears
From the Lima News
Editorial
March 11, 2008
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner tried to create a panic where none existed. She failed, so she should now let it go.
Brunner, who insisted last summer that a quick voting overhaul would be a bad idea, changed her position and tried late to force a switch in voting machines. Brunner, apparently hoping to capitalize on technology fears, ordered all counties with touch-screen ballots to switch to paper ballots. No matter that paper ballots offer more opportunities for error, Brunner played up security fears.
Ohio voters responded underwhelmingly. In counties that offered paper ballots in the March 4 primary election, results varied - from zero all the way up to relatively few. No one used a paper ballot in Morrow County. Paper ballots were the only option for a time in one Lucas County precinct, yet voters in the entire county cast only 1,817 paper ballots, The Columbus Dispatch reported last week. That was about 1 percent of all votes cast.
More than half of the counties The Dispatch checked reported receiving fewer than 100 ballots cast on paper. Brunner was unable to scare enough people into seeing the need for technological regression. She did manage to force county boards of elections to waste a lot of paper, however.
Ohio voters chose technology. That's not surprising. People use computers all the time, transmitting personal information they trust will be secure, be it banking, shopping or taking classes. Brunner should join the rest of Ohio here in the 21st century.
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