Republicans file new lawsuit against Brunner
Rebuffed at U.S. Supreme Court, they turn to Ohio's top court
Friday, October 17, 2008 11:53 AM
Updated: Friday, October 17, 2008 06:05 PM
BY MARK NIQUETTE
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
ASSOCIATED PRESS
People line up to go to the Lorain County Board of Elections during a voter registration drive earlier this month.
Having lost before the U.S. Supreme Court in a lawsuit involving the verification of new voter registrations, Republicans now are turning to the Ohio Supreme Court.
David Myhal, a Republican from New Albany, filed a lawsuit this afternoon asking the state's highest court to issue an order related to instances when new voter information doesn't match records in state or federal databases.
Specifically, the lawsuit asks the Ohio Supreme Court to require Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to order county elections boards not to count any absentee ballot from voters registered after Jan. 1 without first checking the statewide voter registration database to ensure there is no mismatch.
If there is a mismatch, the boards would be required to determine whether the person is an eligible voter.
"This action seeks this (Ohio Supreme Court's) urgent intervention to remedy the secretary of state's steadfast refusal to fully implement the Statewide Voter Registration Database (SWVRD) in a manner required by both federal and state law -- in essence, to share 'mismatch' information regarding a registrant's driver's license or Social Security information with county boards of elections in a manner that gives those boards a meaningful opportunity to investigate the mismatches," the lawsuit says.
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