By Anthony Fossaceca and crossposted on OhioDailyBlog
It's official.
With the announcement expected Monday, Jennifer Garrison's campaign beat everyone to the punch and issued a press release moments ago declaring the end to her six-month campaign to be Secretary of State. The larger news is that Garrison will not be seeking re-election to the Ohio House.
From the release:
State Representative Jennifer Garrison, announced today she will not seek the Democratic nomination for Ohio Secretary of State.
“I have truly enjoyed meeting Ohioans from all walks of life during the 6 month campaign. Ohio is blessed to have a diverse landscape and people. I feel thankful and humbled by the support I have received from my colleagues, labor and Ohioans.” Garrison said.
“While I have determined this is not the right time for me and my family to seek this office, my utmost hope is that the voters will challenge all Secretary of State Candidates to explain how they will increase voter participation and facilitate business growth in Ohio.”
Garrison continued by saying, “I ask the next Secretary of State to be committed to the principles of transparent and fair elections and to concentrate on increasing voter participation. House Bill 260, otherwise known as the Elections Enhancement Bill is a good start. This legislation requires automatic voter registration every time an Ohioan touches state government, whether through renewing a driver’s license or applying for state benefits. This bill goes a long way toward increasing voter participation and reducing allegations of fraud within the voter registration process. I ask both Republican and Democratic candidates to commit their support for this bill.”
Garrison does not plan to seek re-election to the Ohio House of Representatives.
[Ed. Note: Garrison was recruited by Democratic party leaders. She is from Marietta on the Ohio River in southeast Ohio. She opposed gay marriage, and many Dems considered her too conservative and had questions about whether she was pro-choice. Support was eroding, and she reportedly did poorly in polls. Tim Russo at Plunderbund is elated that Garrison won't be on the statewide ticket.]
Showing posts with label Ohio Secretary of State. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ohio Secretary of State. Show all posts
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner: Joins Voter-ID Law Challenge
COLUMBUS (TDB) -- Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has filed a joint friend-of-the-court brief with counterparts from Vermont and Missouri that asks the U.S. Supreme Court to scrap Indiana's voter-ID law as an unnecessary burden restricting citizen access to the polls. The Supreme Court plans to take up the case in January.
Ohio has a similar law -- adopted in 2006 after the Bush v. Kerry presidential election -- that requires voters to show some form of idenvtification when they cast ballots. Republicans contend the law will curtail election fraud; Democrats like Brunner say it will disenfranchise the urban poor and keep likely Democratic voters at bay.
John Michael Spinnelli at ePluribus Media correctly notes that the Supreme Court's ruling could have significant impact on the 2008 presidential election.
Brunner and others have said the voter-ID laws are about helping Republicans win elections, not preserving honesty at the polls. They say the Republicans have enacted the laws to control a "non-existent problem," and that there is no proof of widespread fraudulent voting or impersonation of voters. They contend the Republicans, by requiring ID's such as driver licenses or birth certificates be shown at the polls, have erected bureaucratic barriers. Republicans, however, fear cheating and point to 2004 voter registration forms in Ohio that included the names of cartoon characters and phoney addresses.
The complete text of the 31-page brief filed in the Supreme Court is available here. It describes the voter ID law as onerous.
"As officials responsible for overseeing elections under a variety of voter identification laws, amici have special insight into the issue raised by these cases. Their experience shows that there is virtually no evidence of voter impersonation fraud, the stated reason for the enactment of the Indiana law at issue here; that laws like Indiana's will effectively disenfranchise many eligible voters, particularly minorities, women, the elderly, the disabled, and the poor, while doing noting to prevent polling place voter impersonation fraud; and that in their States, and throughout the country, honest elections, free of polling place voter impersonation fraud, are held without onerous voter photo identification requirements of the type imposed by the State of Indiana.
"Amici have a strong interest in preserving and defending the integrity, fairness and openness of the electoral process that lies at the core or our democratic system of government, the legitimacy of which depends on ensuring that all eligible citizens are able to exercise the right to vote. They are concerned that the Court's resolution of the issues in the instant case will have a profound effect on election administration laws and future legislation in states beyond Indiana. They ask the Court to reaffirm the principle that the fundamental right to vote shall not be burdened unnecessarily to remedy an essentially non-existent problem."
Missouri Secretary of State Mary Carnahan issued a press release about the brief earlier this month and said there has not been a single case of voter impersonation fraud in her state in elections going back to 2000. She said a 2006 Missouri Supreme Court ruling struck down that state's voter-ID law. She said the court found that 240,000 people would have to get documents with a photo-ID in order to vote.
Ohio has a similar law -- adopted in 2006 after the Bush v. Kerry presidential election -- that requires voters to show some form of idenvtification when they cast ballots. Republicans contend the law will curtail election fraud; Democrats like Brunner say it will disenfranchise the urban poor and keep likely Democratic voters at bay.
John Michael Spinnelli at ePluribus Media correctly notes that the Supreme Court's ruling could have significant impact on the 2008 presidential election.
Brunner and others have said the voter-ID laws are about helping Republicans win elections, not preserving honesty at the polls. They say the Republicans have enacted the laws to control a "non-existent problem," and that there is no proof of widespread fraudulent voting or impersonation of voters. They contend the Republicans, by requiring ID's such as driver licenses or birth certificates be shown at the polls, have erected bureaucratic barriers. Republicans, however, fear cheating and point to 2004 voter registration forms in Ohio that included the names of cartoon characters and phoney addresses.
The complete text of the 31-page brief filed in the Supreme Court is available here. It describes the voter ID law as onerous.
"As officials responsible for overseeing elections under a variety of voter identification laws, amici have special insight into the issue raised by these cases. Their experience shows that there is virtually no evidence of voter impersonation fraud, the stated reason for the enactment of the Indiana law at issue here; that laws like Indiana's will effectively disenfranchise many eligible voters, particularly minorities, women, the elderly, the disabled, and the poor, while doing noting to prevent polling place voter impersonation fraud; and that in their States, and throughout the country, honest elections, free of polling place voter impersonation fraud, are held without onerous voter photo identification requirements of the type imposed by the State of Indiana.
"Amici have a strong interest in preserving and defending the integrity, fairness and openness of the electoral process that lies at the core or our democratic system of government, the legitimacy of which depends on ensuring that all eligible citizens are able to exercise the right to vote. They are concerned that the Court's resolution of the issues in the instant case will have a profound effect on election administration laws and future legislation in states beyond Indiana. They ask the Court to reaffirm the principle that the fundamental right to vote shall not be burdened unnecessarily to remedy an essentially non-existent problem."
Missouri Secretary of State Mary Carnahan issued a press release about the brief earlier this month and said there has not been a single case of voter impersonation fraud in her state in elections going back to 2000. She said a 2006 Missouri Supreme Court ruling struck down that state's voter-ID law. She said the court found that 240,000 people would have to get documents with a photo-ID in order to vote.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Ohio's Ken Blackwell: Missing From The A-List Of U.S Conservatives
[Update: 6:30 pm EDT -- Here's the free poster that was up on the Young America's Foundation Web site that is now unavailable, probaby because the site was hacked by people who suggested it could be used as an excellent dartboard in dorm rooms. Notice that Blackwell is missing from the poohbahs and poohbabes of the right. He just wasn't worthy.][Update: 6:34 pm EDT -- The conservative blog Brain Shavings is following the story. It sure looks like someone who is not a Coulter fan did some rewriting of the promo material.]
CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Since losing the race for governor last November, Republican Ken Blackwell has been toiling away with fellowships and grinding out columns pushing his conservative dogma. But he doesn't seem to be ranked among the movement's biggest stars and poster boys. Where's Kenny? Missing like Waldo.
The Young America's Foundation, which bills itself "as the principal outreach organization of the Conservative Movement," also has overlooked Ohio's former Secretary of State for a spot on its list of recommended speakers. The stable includes Jack Kemp -- Blackwell's political mentor -- who will show up on a college campus for a fee that starts at $20,000.
H/T to Adirondack Musing, a New York blog that found the "awesome" free poster on the 'net and wondered: Why does no one seem to be standing near Ann Coulter?
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Ohio Sec'y Of State Jennifer Brunner: Tiebreaker On Ex-NAACP Chief's Run For Judge
CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner must decide if a former Cincinnati NAACP branch president's campaign for a muny court judgeship gets off the ground. The Hamilton County Board of Elections is deadlocked 2-2 on partisan lines over a challenge to the candidacy of Norma J. Holt Davis, a Democrat whose nominating petitions have been questioned on a technicality. A petition form did not carry the street address of the person who circulated the document and collected signatures.
Brunner's spokesman, Jeff Ortega, said the secretary of state gets to break the stalemate under Ohio law. He said the dispute has not yet been referred to Columbus, but will be reviewed and acted upon rapidly once it reaches Brunner.
"If there is a tie vote, it goes to the secretary. This office will work as quickly as possible to make the decision. It's totally her call."
Holt Davis is an attorney who headed the NAACP chapter for two years earlier this decade. She has filed to run against Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Bernie Bouchard, a Republican appointed by former Gov. Bob Taft. She says the challenge to her candidacy is groundless.
. . . the same circulator generated three of the petitions and fully complied with the statute on two of the three, and inadvertently left his address off of circulator's statement on a third petition. There is substantial compliance. Here as in other cases where substantial compliance was found, there is no fraud or deception and the public is not harmed or misled."
Brunner's spokesman, Jeff Ortega, said the secretary of state gets to break the stalemate under Ohio law. He said the dispute has not yet been referred to Columbus, but will be reviewed and acted upon rapidly once it reaches Brunner.
"If there is a tie vote, it goes to the secretary. This office will work as quickly as possible to make the decision. It's totally her call."
Holt Davis is an attorney who headed the NAACP chapter for two years earlier this decade. She has filed to run against Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Bernie Bouchard, a Republican appointed by former Gov. Bob Taft. She says the challenge to her candidacy is groundless.
. . . the same circulator generated three of the petitions and fully complied with the statute on two of the three, and inadvertently left his address off of circulator's statement on a third petition. There is substantial compliance. Here as in other cases where substantial compliance was found, there is no fraud or deception and the public is not harmed or misled."
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner: Oops! She Has Own Campaign Stuff Up On State Web Site
COLUMBUS (TDB) -- Ohio's Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is the state's top election official. But she seems to be violating a cardinal rule by blatantly mixing official business with her electioneering literature. Check out this clearly labeled campaign material on her official state portal. Some Republicans have spotted the screw up and are beginning to quietly pass word around today it is evidence Brunner is a bit holier than thou as a politician.
[UPDATE: Some additional Brunner campaign material on the state portal turns up HERE.]
[UPDATE 1: To get to the campaign pdfs click HERE and scan down the page to the four initiatives listed in The Brunner Plan.]
The gist of it: If you are throwing stones, don't live in a glass house. No doubt some tech-savvy GOPers are snapshotting the pages right now.
Brunner, indeed, is trying to clean house at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, where she says the four board members, including Ohio GOP Chairman Bob Bennett, have tolerated incompetence and sloppy performance for years. Two Democratic board members have resigned, but the two Republicans have so far dug in. Bennett, in particular, has said he'll fight Brunner's efforts to remove him from the Cleveland post.
Now some questionable activities by Brunner's office have surfaced. She has taken material from her 2006 campaign and put it online without even an edit job. The headline clearly urges people to vote for Jennifer Brunner for Secretary of State and the piece was prepared by the Jennifer Brunner Committee and gives its phone number, 614-255-4254. It appears on the state's portal under "The Brunner Plan" on her official Web site.
The Brunner plan doesn't seem to have much to do with elections, but promised to convene a collaborative "of business, non-profit, labor, government and university leaders to define a continuum fore measuring wage earner and family well-being: What is a community in crisis? What is a stable community? What is a thriving community?"
[UPDATE: Some additional Brunner campaign material on the state portal turns up HERE.]
[UPDATE 1: To get to the campaign pdfs click HERE and scan down the page to the four initiatives listed in The Brunner Plan.]
The gist of it: If you are throwing stones, don't live in a glass house. No doubt some tech-savvy GOPers are snapshotting the pages right now.
Brunner, indeed, is trying to clean house at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, where she says the four board members, including Ohio GOP Chairman Bob Bennett, have tolerated incompetence and sloppy performance for years. Two Democratic board members have resigned, but the two Republicans have so far dug in. Bennett, in particular, has said he'll fight Brunner's efforts to remove him from the Cleveland post.
Now some questionable activities by Brunner's office have surfaced. She has taken material from her 2006 campaign and put it online without even an edit job. The headline clearly urges people to vote for Jennifer Brunner for Secretary of State and the piece was prepared by the Jennifer Brunner Committee and gives its phone number, 614-255-4254. It appears on the state's portal under "The Brunner Plan" on her official Web site.
The Brunner plan doesn't seem to have much to do with elections, but promised to convene a collaborative "of business, non-profit, labor, government and university leaders to define a continuum fore measuring wage earner and family well-being: What is a community in crisis? What is a stable community? What is a thriving community?"
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