Exposing reasons the Ohio Dems Oust Election Reform Pioneer from Leadership Position - Take Action!!!! Please Forward !!

For Immediate Release:

 

How the Ohio Democratic Party proves it is worthless and complicit in the area of not protecting our elections and maintaining people who care about those elections. 

                                                                       

By: Paddy Shaffer

Director, The Ohio Election Justice Campaign         

http://www.electiondefensealliance.org/OEJC

 

New unfolding ugliness in Ohio... (A message from Susan Truit below this little write up to prepare you for what she will describe).

 

I would like to remind all of you of some background information before you read about State Senator Teresa Fedor losing her position as Minority Leader, compliments of what appears to be... The Enemy Of We The People.   This will allow you to understand why we are not able to resolve the election issues in Ohio.  The Democrats are also involved!  Face it, it currently takes two parties, and the story is just starting to flow.   The party people and the election officials that prefer to protect their club of election officials and protect the surrounding illegal business actions that run our elections, rather than look out for the people need their asses exposed, just like the little girl in the old Coppertone suntan add with the dog tugging on her bathing suit... her ass was hanging out, and now so are theirs.

 

Bernadette Noe, wife of Tom Noe (now in prison for robbing the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation Fund) is the former Director of the Lucas County Board of Elections.  It is pretty bad when even J. Kenneth Blackwell fired her for the problems at that BOE.  Bernadette Noe is Chris Redfern's cousin.  Chris Redfern is the current Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, current Ohio State Representative for District 80, and the former Ohio House Minority Leader. http://www.house.state.oh.us/jsps/MemberDetails.jsp?DISTRICT=80

 

Tom Noe was convicted of 29 counts, including theft, corruption and forgery. (Jeremy Wadsworth - AP)  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/13/AR2006111301305.html?nav=rss_print/asection

 

Thomas W. Noe Prison Information: http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&LastName=Noe&Middle=&FirstName=Thomas&Race=U&Sex=U&Age=&x=0&y=0

Federal Prisoner Number 26157-018, age 53, White, Male...

Thomas W. Noe, Prison Release date is October 27, 2008.

 

The Ohio Democrats were having a field day beating up on the Noe's for all their criminal and other problems.  "Coingate" http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060402/NEWS24/60402016 is the main title given to this sad sick story, as Tom Noe spent $50 million of BWC dollars on collector coins and beanie babies... and donating heavily $$$ to Republican campaigns.  George W. Bush's campaign  received over $100,000, and Noe was given the title "A Bush Pioneer."

http://ohio15th.blogspot.com/2007/12/latta-did-get-money-from-tom-noe.html

http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/link.php?id=12303

This money was gathered for the use of injured workers, and their widows and orphans.  Chris Redfern told the Ohio Democrats to stop the criticism because Bernadette is his cousin.  They did, all except Marc Dann, our current Attorney General. Dann was a champion of the people, forced this needed issue to court, and also rode it as a means into his current office. 

 

Former Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) Chairman Denny White left his downtown office window open and got his computer stolen with all the ODP data. Denny left the job and went to the Deputy Director position at the Franklin County Board of Elections (which is now under investigation, the last guy with that job, Hackett was just convicted of crimes for selling voting machine carts, needed because of HAVA to the BOE.  The conviction was just last week). Then the Chairman job at the Ohio Democratic Party opened up. 

 

I assisted Ohio Honest Elections  run a public forum for all the candidates for the job.  Redfern was the least of the 7 candidates that showed up and planned to work two jobs.  All the others planned to focus on the ODP. When the vote came up days later for the ODP job, it was reported to me that Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones entered the room where the voting was to take place, upset.  Why, we need to know.  (I heard that people were reporting that they had received calls telling them that they must vote for Chris Redfern.)  That vote, normally done on a private ballot, was instead done publicly.  Each voter had to go public with their choice, and raise their hand for their candidate choice.  Chris Redfern won.    A fair election?  http://www.democrats.org/a/2005/12/ohio_democrats.php

 

I requested a meeting with Chris Redfern shortly after he took his new job as ODP Chairman, I was a candidate for the US Congress.  I attempted to have dialog on what he was going to do about the election mess, which was the driving issue for me as a candidate.  He wouldn't touch it, but instead recommended I raised lots of money and wrote thank you cards to donors.  When I managed the Green Party Governor Candidate's 2006 Campaign, he blocked my candidate from the Governors debates, telling me "It is my job to get Strickland elected," when I asked him "what about democracy... why are you blocking the Libertarian and Green Party Candidates?"

 

The cover up for our 2004 and subsequent elections continues.  The Attorney General and Secretary of State will not touch the issue.  How big does the pile of elephant crap in the room have to be before we admit it is there?

 

Again,... I am sickened.  And the misdeeds continue.  Help if you can.

 

 

________________________________________________________________

From Susan Truit:

 

Please WRITE - EMAIL - CALL Ohio Dem Leaders - contact info below

 

     The Ohio Democratic Party has ousted staunch election reform advocate, State Senator Teresa Fedor, from her position as Minority Leader. Senator Fedor was sounding the alarm regarding the unsafe nature of touch screen voting machines (DREs) years before most people had ever heard of them. Her removal as the leader of the Democrats in the Ohio Legislature is a dramatic blow to the election reform movement in Ohio. She has worked tirelessly for years for election reform, first as a State Representative and then as a State Senator.

 

     Among other things, Senator Fedor spearheaded the 2004 Joint Committee on Ballot Security, which, with the help of CASE Ohio members, prevented the purchase of any new DREs in Ohio prior to the 2004 election. She invited many computer experts, and others, to testify before the Committee, educating not only the legislature, but also the public, about the dangers of DREs. She introduced and passed the Bill requiring paper on any voting machine. But she has not stopped there - she has continued to advocate for voting rights and voting reform for years.

 

     She was also instrumental in exposing the Thomas Noe scandal in Lucas County - (see

http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2005/10/noe-indicted-for-helping-steal-2004.html ), and the scandal of Congressman Bob Ney, who, unfortunately, pushed through HAVA (Help America Vote Act) before he was embroiled in his scandel.

 

     Who is behind her removal from power and why? Who expressly and tacitly approved it?

 

     Why, with only months to go before a Presidential election, have the Dems removed from a leadership position the one Legislator who has devoted herself to election reform?!? Especially in the key state of Ohio?

 

     Is this move driven by those who do not buy in to the grave nature of the election system in Ohio, and in the entire U.S.? Is it more insidious than that? This move clearly indicates that there are Ohio Democrats in key leadership positions who are unaware of the dire situation regarding the unreliable, unverifiable, and untrustworthy DREs. To oust Senator Fedor as a party leader, after her years of devotion and unflagging work, is an abomination.

 

     Who will lead the election reform charge, now?

 

Write, email, and call the Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, Chris Redfern, and ask him:

 

Chris Redfern
77 S. High St
10th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-6111
Telephone: (614) 644-6011
Fax : (614) 719-6980
Email Address: district80@ohr.state.oh.us

 

Write, email, and call the Chief Legal Counsel for the Governor, Kent Markus, who also serves as the Chief of State-Legislative Relations, and ask him:

 

Kent Markus

kent.markus@governor.ohio.gov

kmarkus@law.capital.edu

Office of Governor Ted Strickland
77 South High Street
30th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215-6117
Phone:614/466-3555
Fax:614/466-9354
Capitol Phone:614/466-2000

 

EVEN IF YOU DO NOT LIVE IN OHIO - IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ELECTION REFORM, Call, Email, and Write them now and demand some answers about why Senator Fedor has been punished for her years of exemplary service to the State of Ohio and to the issue of election reform.

 

Regards,

 

Susan Truitt

 

 

 

 

International Observers Ohio SOS Records Request

Ohio Election Justice Campaign

Brian Green

Elections Council, Ohio Secretary of State

180 East Broad Street

Columbus, Ohio 43215

August 27, 2008

Dear Brian Green,

I understand that in 2004 international election observers wanted to come to Ohio for the General Election. It is also my understanding that former Ohio Secretary of State (SOS), J. Kenneth Blackwell and/or his staff denied them access.

Do I understand this correctly?

As per ORC 149.43 I request any and all paper and electronic records from 2004 in regards to international election observers wanting access to Ohio's elections. I additionally request any and all paper and electronic records from 2004 in regards to the replies and communication from J. Kenneth Blackwell and any and all staff members replying to the requests to have international election observers. Also, if you are able to locate the interoffice communications of the former SOS and any and all staff as they discussed and made decisions about the issue of international observers wanting access to Ohio's general election in 2004.

To bring this matter to this current year of 2008 and our upcoming general election, I request any and all communication regarding having international election observers this year, for November 4, 2008. This is to include but not be limited to the international election observer's requests and all correspondence in reply, including the interoffice communications discussing international election observers this year. I am assuming that a request has been made for such international election observers this year. If that has not taken place, or not taken place yet, please just tell me.

Please send this in electronic format if possible, if not, paper will be fine. These requests are severable if need be to speed up the reply process.

Thank you for your assistance,

Paddy Shaffer

Director, The Ohio Election Justice Campaign

paddy@columbus.rr.com

(614) 266-5283

CC: Victoria Parks, OEJC

Bev Harris, Blackbox Voting

Tim Kettler, OEJC, Candidate Ohio Senate

Dan Stanton, OEJC

Election Officials May Face Criminal Charges: OEJC Files in Federal Court

Columbus, Ohio, PRWEB, July 11 -- Eight members of the Ohio Election Justice Campaign filed papers on Thursday in United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio, asking Hon. Judge Algenon Marbley to begin criminal contempt proceedings for the destruction of ballots from the November 2004 election.

The Ohio Election Justice Campaign (OEJC) submitted over 1000 pages of supporting documents.

In the case before Judge Marbley, King Lincoln, et al. v. Brunner, et al., Civ. No. C2 06 745 (S.D. Ohio), the judge had issued specific orders directing Ohio's 88 county boards of election to preserve all ballots from the election until a decision was rendered in the case.

At least 56 county boards assert they have destroyed some ballots from 2004; seven counties assert they have destroyed all ballots.

This citizen-initiated action is pro se litigation in which the plaintiffs act as their own attorneys.

The papers in front of Judge Marbley also ask him to impanel a Special Grand Jury to investigate the destruction of ballots.

A Special Grand Jury, as a collection of citizens authorized to hear the evidence, is uniquely suited to sorting out the degrees of culpability associated with the destruction of the ballots. It is also authorized by statute to issue a public report, which can then be circulated to the employer of appointed public officials.

Paddy Shaffer, director, OEJC, said, "The time for accountability is now, prior to the November election of our next president. Many counties allegedly destroyed ballots before the election was even certified. Why would we trust these people with the upcoming elections?”

Mark Brown, a plaintiff in the suit and a candidate for public office in 2004, said, "Justice delayed is justice denied is injustice repeated."

The Ohio Election Justice Campaign was formed by concerned citizens, many of whom participated in the 2004 election as observers, election protection workers, poll workers, and election investigators as well as organizers and witnesses in Ohio's 2004 Presidential Vote Recount.

Plaintiff Tim Kettler, currently a Green Party candidate for Ohio Senate District 20, ran for Ohio Secretary of State in 2006. Kettler believes the only way to stop this type of criminal behavior and incompetence is through citizen action: "Whether we challenge these offenses in court or run for public office, we must replace those who would show such contempt for the law."

For this article on PRWEB, see http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20080711/bs_prweb/prweb1092204;_ylt=AljYOBmObuR_og9MIv_gojs51sIF

Contacts:

Paddy Shaffer
paddy@columbus.rr.com
(614) 761-0621


Tim Kettler
tmkettler@aol.com
(740) 502-6453

For more information visit www.electiondefensealliance.org/OEJC

Attachments for above article see links below:
http://www.electiondefensealliance.org/files/Contempt%20Charges.pdf
http://www.electiondefensealliance.org/files/Motion%20To%20Intervene.pdf
http://www.electiondefensealliance.org/files/Delaware%20County-Genoa%20Precinct%20Ballots%20Appendix%20A.pdf

If I Were A Terrorist, A James Pence Video

Federal law now requires statewide databases of voter registration

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recent content - 5 new posts
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1. Nebraska Voter Registration Database Information
Published Book page by Dan Ashby
[
http://www.electiondefensealliance.org/nebraska_voter_registration_datab...
]

Nebraska Voter Registration Database Report:
State Regulations and Procedures Implementing HAVA Voter Registration
Requirements
Attached is the Nebraska Voter Registration Information as set forth in
Making the List, Database Matching and Verification Processes for Voter
Registration as published by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York
University on March 24, 2006. This document contains available
information about voter regtistration current as of the date of
publication.
Federal law now requires, as of January 1, 2006, that states create and
maintain statewide databases to serve as the central source of voter
registration information. Citizens' ability to get on the rolls (and
thus their ability to vote and have their votes counted) will now
depend
on the policies and procedures governing the use of these databases in
the voter registration process. Evidence demonstrates that poor policy
and procedure choices could result in the unwarranted
disenfranchisement
of millions of eligible citizens attempting to register to vote. The
new
statewide databases, and their role in the voter registration process,
are poorly understood, but extremely consequential.
This report, issued just as the state databases begin to come online,
presents the first comprehensive catalog of the widely varying state
database practices governing how (and in some cases, whether)
individuals seeking to register will be placed on the voter rolls.
The report covers the state's voter registration process, from the
application form up through Election Day - including the intake of
registration forms, the manner in which information from the forms may
be matched to other government lists, the consequences of the match
process, and any opportunity to correct errors. Each variation at each
step of the process has tangible consequences for voters seeking to
register and vote in 2006 and beyond.

---

2. North Dakota Voter Registration Information
Published Book page by Dan Ashby
[
http://www.electiondefensealliance.org/north_dakota_voter_registration_i...
]

North Dakota Voter Registration Database Report:
State Regulations and Procedures Implementing HAVA Voter Registration
Requirements
Attached under the "Attachment" link at the foot of this article, is
the North Dakota Voter Registration Information as set forth in Making
the List, Database Matching and Verification Processes for Voter
Registration, published by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York
University on March 24, 2006. This document contains available
information about voter regtistration current as of the date of
publication.
North Dakota's registration regulations couldn't be simpler: North
Dakota does not register voters. It is the only state in the union that
does not.
Apparently, since North Dakota does not practice voter registration,
there is no requirement to assemble the centralized statewide voter
registration base required by HAVA of all other states that do have
voter registration systems.
Federal law now requires, as of January 1, 2006, that states create and
maintain statewide databases to serve as the central source of voter
registration information. Citizens' ability to get on the rolls (and
thus their ability to vote and have their votes counted) will now
depend
on the policies and procedures governing the use of these databases in
the voter registration process.
Evidence demonstrates that poor policy and procedure choices could
result in the unwarranted disenfranchisement of millions of eligible
citizens attempting to register to vote. The new statewide databases,
and their role in the voter registration process, are poorly
understood,
but extremely consequential.
The "Making the List" report, issued just as the state databases begin
to come online, presents the first comprehensive catalog of the widely
varying state database practices governing how (and in some cases,
whether) individuals seeking to register will be placed on the voter
rolls.

---

3. Florida Voter Registration Information
Published Book page by Dan Ashby
[
http://www.electiondefensealliance.org/florida_voter_registration_inform...
]

Florida Voter Registration Database Report:
State Regulations and Procedures Implementing HAVA Voter Registration
Requirements
Attached is the Florida Voter Registration Information as set forth in
Making the List, Database Matching and Verification Processes for Voter
Registration as published by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York
University on March 24, 2006. This document contains available
information about voter regtistration current as of the date of
publication.
Federal law now requires, as of January 1, 2006, that states create and
maintain statewide databases to serve as the central source of voter
registration information. Citizens' ability to get on the rolls (and
thus their ability to vote and have their votes counted) will now
depend
on the policies and procedures governing the use of these databases in
the voter registration process. Evidence demonstrates that poor policy
and procedure choices could result in the unwarranted
disenfranchisement
of millions of eligible citizens attempting to register to vote. The
new
statewide databases, and their role in the voter registration process,
are poorly understood, but extremely consequential.
This report, issued just as the state databases begin to come online,
presents the first comprehensive catalog of the widely varying state
database practices governing how (and in some cases, whether)
individuals seeking to register will be placed on the voter rolls.
The report covers the state's voter registration process, from the
application form up through Election Day - including the intake of
registration forms, the manner in which information from the forms may
be matched to other government lists, the consequences of the match
process, and any opportunity to correct errors. Each variation at each
step of the process has tangible consequences for voters seeking to
register and vote in 2006 and beyond.

---

4. Georgia Voter Registration Information
Published Book page by Dan Ashby
[
http://www.electiondefensealliance.org/georgia_voter_registration_inform...
]

Attached is the Georgia Voter Registration Information as set forth in
Making the List, Database Matching and Verification Processes for Voter
Registration as published by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York
University on March 24, 2006. This document contains available
information about voter regtistration current as of the date of
publication.
Federal law now requires, as of January 1, 2006, that states create and
maintain statewide databases to serve as the central source of voter
registration information. Citizens' ability to get on the rolls (and
thus their ability to vote and have their votes counted) will now
depend
on the policies and procedures governing the use of these databases in
the voter registration process. Evidence demonstrates that poor policy
and procedure choices could result in the unwarranted
disenfranchisement
of millions of eligible citizens attempting to register to vote. The
new
statewide databases, and their role in the voter registration process,
are poorly understood, but extremely consequential.
This report, issued just as the state databases begin to come online,
presents the first comprehensive catalog of the widely varying state
database practices governing how (and in some cases, whether)
individuals seeking to register will be placed on the voter rolls.
The report covers the state's voter registration process, from the
application form up through Election Day - including the intake of
registration forms, the manner in which information from the forms may
be matched to other government lists, the consequences of the match
process, and any opportunity to correct errors. Each variation at each
step of the process has tangible consequences for voters seeking to
register and vote in 2006 and beyond.

---

5. LibertyVote Still Suing to Force DREs on NY State
Published Book page by Dan Ashby
[ http://www.electiondefensealliance.org/libertyvote_NY_DRE_lawsuit ]

From Bo Lipari's blog, 3/22/08:
http://www.nyvv.org/boblog/2008/03/22/the-law-litigation-and-libertyvote...
[100]

Vendor to sue NY again to allow DREs
I told you the DRE vendors are like zombies [101], and will never, ever
stop trying to force DRE machines on New York
State voters. Once again, LibertyVote and their Dutch partner Nedap are
preparing to go to Court to challenge county purchases for accessible
paper ballot systems, and to overturn New York State's right to test
our voting machines to the strict standards we worked so hard to
achieve.

[100]
http://www.nyvv.org/boblog/2008/03/22/the-law-litigation-and-libertyvote...
[101] http://nyvv.org/blog/2008/01/theyre-back.html

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Summit County Ohio, the GOP, the SOS, and a State Senator

By Paddy Shaffer
Director, The Ohio Election Justice Campaign
March 10, 2008

For a better understanding of the Dispatch article below... a little history has been provided on several of these Ohio characters, and the voting machine integrity in Summit County.

Ohio State Senator Kevin Coughlin who is pointing out problems with Alex Arshinkoff has some issues of his own. Kevin was very involved in Ohio's voter suppression bill, officially titled House Bill 3. It seems as though Kevin's job was to trump up the charges of Voter Fraud in his testimony before the Ohio Senate Rules Committee, when Ohio's problem is not that, but alleged Election Fraud by vendors, technicians, and election officials.

Coughlin's testimony seems to have been successful as House Bill 3 adopted the voter ID provisions which currently disenfranchise hundreds, or hundreds of thousands of Ohioans. When you can't vote, or are forced to vote provisionally anywhere in Ohio because of the new voter ID rules, thank State Senator Kevin Coughlin (you might want to drop him a card, or call him).

kcoughli@mailr.sen.state.oh.us
(614) 466-4823 phone
(614) 644-5879 fax

As for Arshinkoff and Summit Counties elections: In 2006 Alex Arshinkoff was a board member for the Summit County Board Of Elections. That November Summit County had reported that over 100% of the people voted in 34 precincts for November.

Bryan Williams, the director of the BOE blames it on the ES&S machines counting some of the ballots twice, because the ballots are two pages. Yet some absentee's got counted only once. He said it was a software problem. I must let my gentle readers know that in Ohio the Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner is now in March of 2008 looking at spending 64 million dollars, up from 31 million dollars in December 2007 on more ES&S machines to tabulate our votes. I presented Kathy Spinelli, of The Ohio Secretary of State's office in the spring of 2007 with the undervote/overvote report from Summit County, and the following results which I have provided for you, and so much more that was in that report. Remember... this is some of the fine work of ES&S.

Actual Official 2006 Certified Election Results from just a few Summit County Locations:

Silver Lake Vill - registered voters 2049 - ballots cast 2899 - turnout percentage 141.48%
Richfield Twp - registered voters 1771 - ballots cast 2396 - turnout percentage 135.29%
Bath Twp - registered voters 7598 - ballots cast 10287 - turnout percentage 135.39%
Northfield Ctr Twp - registered voters 3944 - ballots cast 5009 - turnout percentage 127.00%
Sagamore Hls Twp - registered voters 8236 - ballots cast - 10056 - turnout percentage 122.10%

As for the final official count and the official certified results (certified by former SOS Blackwell), Director Bryan Williams said, "The report is meaningless", referring to his report on the certified totals. Byran also claimed that many voters voted for both Blackwell and Strickland for Governor. Hmmm... who would do that? According to the overvote and undervote report that I requested from Director Williams, 2208 people overvoted for Governor.

And yes folks... this is Ohio elections, and the vendors we buy voting machines from.

The Ohio Election Justice Campaign recommends that we go to Hand Counted Paper Ballots, counted at the precinct. We also recommend a recall and a refund for the voting machines. Ohio needs to go to the front of the line to get our money back. The OEJC recommends that not one more dime be spent on ES&S, nor Diebold, and that we no longer certify vote totals of over 100%.

According to the below article, Arshinkoff will be taking his complaints about Secretary Brunner and his losing his job before The Ohio Supreme Court.

Summit Board of Elections Website
http://www.summitcountyboe.com/

The next link is for "The Godfather in the Closet Story" on Arshinkoff. Disturbing stuff, be prewarned.

http://www.clevescene.com/2003-06-11/news/the-godfather-in-the-closet/full

Paddy Shaffer
_______________________________________________________________

Read below for GOP guys in a circular firing squad.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/03/10/z-apoh_party_boss_0310.ART_ART_03-10-08_B5_FM9JJ6P.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101

GOP chief under fire
Kicked off elections panel, he could lose Summit County post
Monday, March 10, 2008 3:03 AM
By Julie Carr Smyth
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Critics are lining up against one of Ohio's longest-serving, most-powerful political bosses.

Summit County Republican Chairman Alex Arshinkoff, a man President Bush has called the most effective party chairman in America, was removed from his seat on the county board of elections last month by Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. She cited concerns that employees in Akron were being harassed, intimidated and threatened.

Arshinkoff challenged her decision to the Ohio Supreme Court, for which depositions are to begin this week.

Within his party, Arshinkoff faces a power struggle with a Republican state senator who wants him dethroned as county GOP chairman.

"I think that people are just fed up," said state Sen. Kevin Coughlin, whose ouster effort is dubbed the New Summit County Republicans. "Everyone's got their own reason for letting him go, whether it's how he treats people, how he spends the money, or his losing record of 10 wins and 67 losses over the last six years."

Coughlin, who lives in the Akron suburb of Cuyahoga Falls, said he thinks enough new central committee members were elected last week to push Arshinkoff out for good.
Brunner said she also based her decision to remove Arshinkoff on evidence that he was running his party operation out of elections-board offices.
Also, three local judges signed affidavits saying that Arshinkoff interfered with their official duties.

"I really did not want to lose the opportunity to have this board function in a more civil and professional manner," Brunner said. "When you visit there, it feels kind of like a rubber band pulled tight."

Arshinkoff, who took charge of the county party in 1978 at the age of 23, defends his record and his approach. He said he has never been accused or convicted of a crime or found to have broken an ethics or elections law in three decades of service.
"Do I kick ass sometimes to make sure things get done? You're damn right," Arshinkoff said in a telephone interview. Referring to his party, he said: "When you don't have the (backing of the local) paper, and you don't have the (voter) numbers, you have to."

Coughlin accuses Arshinkoff of exploiting his position with the party to steer business to his lobbying firm and to pay for a car and other personal perks.
"He's got about $600,000 that he budgets for loosely defined operational overhead, which includes a Cadillac Escalade and three meals a day, a bloated staff, and his pay," Coughlin said. "We want a chairman who's interested in winning elections and not feathering his own nest."

Arshinkoff calls Coughlin "truth-challenged."

He said he makes $72,000 a year as party chairman, and he and his wife, Karen, have often taken on personal debt to make the contributions to the party that are required of central committee members.

Arshinkoff also noted that the win-loss record Coughlin assigns him neglects the party's influence outside the county. For example, Coughlin counts state Auditor Mary Taylor of the Summit County suburb of Green, whom Arshinkoff recruited and groomed, in the "loss" column because she did not win her Democrat-heavy home county on her way to statewide victory in 2006.

Arshinkoff has built a small county party into a fundraising dynamo that has given millions of dollars to candidates. In 2000, Arshinkoff's fundraising machine gave $2.8 million to elect then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush president.

Arshinkoff's demands that donors give to the party rather than directly to candidates is both the source of the county party's might and the heart of criticism of it. Most county party chairmen no longer require such loyalty.

Arshinkoff said the attacks by Coughlin and Brunner are politically motivated.
Coughlin aspires to be Ohio's next governor and is using his attacks to build a statewide reputation among Republicans, Arshinkoff said.

As for Brunner, undercutting Summit County's fundraising prowess for Republicans would benefit her and the Democratic Party, Arshinkoff argued.
"Would it perhaps be in her interest not to have us donating $1 million to statewide Republican candidates in 2010?" Arshinkoff said.

Coughlin did not deny having political aspirations, but fighting Arshinkoff won't necessarily benefit his career, he said.

"The safe thing for me to do would have been to stay on the sidelines with my eyes shut and my mouth shut to Alex," Coughlin said. "Whether or not it's a smart political move on my part, it really doesn't matter to me anymore. This guy's conduct has to stop."

Brunner said prudence, not politics, motivated her decision. "It might have been easier to keep him on the board, politically," she said. "But I think the way the board was operating, it wasn't serving the best interests of the voters."
"Do I kick ass sometimes to make sure things get done? You're damn right."
Alex Arshinkoff
Summit County GOP chief

I Give This Ohio Election Issue An "F"

Look at pictures of the ballot boxes below, no security in those seals.

These make the post-it-note stickers in New Hampshire look like an armored truck in the way of security.

Folks, why would they make security so lame... "The Dumbass Excuse" applies here. Too stupid to actually seal the box. I must ask, where are the responsible adults?

I seem to remember video of New Hampshire's Assistant Secretary of State, David Scanlan being asked (I think this was compliments of Susan Pynchon), "Who ordered the stickers?" "Who is responsible?" Time for a repeat of that line of questioning here in Ohio. Scanlan did not have a decent answer. Video on this New Hampshire scene will be available at blackboxvoting.org when it is ready.

The GOP site here asks why the ballots were driven with a person of one party. I don't know if they changed requirements specially for this afternoon pick up, but in Ohio, the ballots always go with one person, of one party. This is determined by which party won the most votes in the Gubernatorial Primary. Winner gets to have the precinct judge position, and drive the ballots for the next four years. It makes sense that a truck load would have more than one party represented in who does the transportation of the ballots. Unless they only picked up Democratic Precincts, this seems like a problem. Yet I believe the law is written that the precinct judge drives them. Cleveland does vote heavily Democratic. I would like to know who the photographer was of these pictures.

Heaven Help Us,

Paddy Shaffer

Director, The Ohio Election Justice Campaign

http://ohiogop.blogs.com:80/state_of_the_union/2008/03/brunner-botches.html