Capital News: More volleys over Project Everest

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by Marc Kovac, Capital Bureau chief
A bill allowing college kids to work at the polls on Election Day prompted a pithing match, sans lisp, between a couple of state lawmakers late last month and is further evidence of the continuing rift between the secretary of state and Republicans.

All of which stems from the $2 million Project Everest study released by Jennifer Brunner late last year, pinpointing numerous security flaws in the state's computerized elections systems and outlining a number of recommendations, including centralized vote counting.

Lawmakers have been slow to respond in favorable fashion, however. Republicans have bucked the report's recommendations, stating repeatedly that counties already have invested millions in new voting equipment and that there has been no evidence of widespread tampering and fraud. So, few of the significant recommendations of the report have been implemented, and some counties will continue using touch-screen voting machines in November.

Late last month, on what was supposed to be one of the last days of the session before their summer/campaign recess, lawmakers passed Substitute House Bill 350. In its original form, the legislation aimed to allow two high school seniors, age 17 and older, to work in polling places on election days. Current law allows one such teen to work in precincts.

In its amended form, lawmakers added provisions related to voting machines, the secretary of state's authority to issue directives and absentee ballots.

Senators from both sides of the aisle favored the final version of the bill, passing it unanimously. The rub came when former minority leader, Toledo Democrat Teresa Fedor, attempted a floor amendment allowing the tabulation of optical scan ballots at centralized locations in counties.

The move, in line with the Everest report, was tabled on a party-line vote after an extended floor debate that included a bit of wrangling between Senate President Bill Harris, a Republican from Ashland, and Minority Leader Ray Miller, a Democrat from Columbus.

Sen. John Carey, a Republican from Wellston, quickly responded to subsequent press characterizations of the Everest study as "independent."

"You may remember that I had serious concerns about doing this report when the contract came before the state Controlling Board late last year," he wrote to reporters. "The people hired to do this report share Secretary Brunner's agenda to promote optical scan ballots. Before the Controlling Board's approval, Secretary Brunner assured me, both privately and publicly, that the Everest report would not be used to promote optical scan machines but to make touch screen machines safer.

"The Everest report was disappointing in that it mimicked already published and stated opinions by those with a bias against Ohio's current voting system. In short, the report was a waste of money, and it is only being used as a tool to promote Secretary Brunner's agenda."

That prompted a counter-statement from Fedor praising Brunner and her "nationally renowned" Everest study.

"I believe we must provide every single voter with a free, fair, open and honest voting system," Fedor wrote to reporters, adding later, "We cannot afford such reckless partisan games with Ohio's election system hanging in balance.

"It is my hope that, in this crucial election year, Republicans and Democrats can work constructively with Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to meet the challenges of administering a topnotch election. It is not too late."

Marc Kovac is the Dix Newspapers Capital Bureau chief. E-mail him at mkovac@dixcom.com.