Originally published in the Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) February 28, 2004
Copyright 2004 The Columbus Dispatch
By Jon Craig
Leaders
of the House and Senate set up a special panel yesterday to probe
security issues surrounding electronic-voting devices that Secretary of
State J. Kenneth Blackwell wants to buy for Ohio.
The
move puts into limbo Blackwell's request before the state Controlling
Board to spend more than $128 million on new voting machines. Blackwell
hoped to replace punch-card ballots in at least 29 of the current 69
counties by the November presidential election.
"The
proposed delay would virtually eliminate the possibility of any
deployment of new voting machines in 2004," Blackwell said in a letter
to legislative leaders and Gov. Bob Taft.
"With
Ohio slated by both national parties as a battleground state, the
possibility of a close (presidential) election with punch cards as the
state's primary voting device invites a Florida-like calamity."
Senate
President Doug White and House Speaker Larry Householder formed a
10-member joint committee at the request of Sens. Teresa Fedor,
D-Toledo, and Jeff Jacobson, R-Vandalia.
"We need to get this right the first time and we cannot afford to get this wrong," Fedor said.
Blackwell lamented the lack of legislative cooperation despite his "significant efforts" to keep lawmakers informed.
"As
we have gone to great lengths to include the legislature in this
process, it seems reasonable to request your assistance to aid us in
clarifying your intentions," Blackwell said, noting that only two of
the General Assembly's 132 lawmakers attended a Feb. 19 briefing on
voting machines.
In a separate letter to
Fedor, Blackwell said every risk identified in a Maryland Legislative
Report on voting machines has been addressed in Ohio.
Carlo
LoParo, a spokesman for Blackwell, said all remaining questions can be
answered in time for the spending request to be considered by the
Controlling Board as scheduled on March 8.
"We feel we can quickly address their concerns," he said.
But Maggie Mitchell, a spokeswoman for White, said, "I don't expect the committee will be done in a week."
Dispatch reporter Lee Leonard contributed to this story.