The GOP attack on democracy continues in Ohio

[babsbunny]

http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2008/3293

by Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
November 19, 2008

The Ohio Republican Party has escalated its attacks on democracy on two key fronts.

It's trying to steal a hotly contested Congressional seat. And it's moving to restrict voting rights for coming elections.

In the bitterly embattled House race in central Ohio's 15th Congressional District, Republican State Senator Steve Stivers has a slight lead over Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy.

Two years ago, Kilroy essentially defeated the previous incumbent, fourth-ranked House Republican Deborah Pryce. In an extremely tight race, a wide range of dubious voter eliminations and manipulated vote counts stole what appears to have been a clear victory from Kilroy. The GOP's infamous J. Kenneth Blackwell was still Ohio's Secretary of State. The Democrats declined to take him on, and the seat remained in Republican hands.

[truedelphi]

1. The last paragraph is somewhat clumsy.

Fitrakis should have edited it a smidge better.

The paragraph sounds like Blackwell was the SOS and no one bothered to remove him. But the state of Ohio did remove Blackwell, and now the state of Ohio has Brunner, who is a Democrat and has really had her hands full.

But Kilroy remains where he was four years back.