DaytonDailyNews.com

COLUMBUS — The people who run Ohio's elections in the state's 88 counties took a vote and it was unanimous: They don't like Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's plan to require most counties to replace nearly new electronic touch screen voting machines in time for the November general election.

"We did not have one dissenting vote," Shannon Leininger, association president and deputy director of the Ashland County Board of Elections said Tuesday of the vote by the group's trustees. Like Brunner, Leininger is a Democrat.

Such decisions should be left up to individual counties, said the Ohio Association of Election Officials, a bipartisan group that includes the members of the 88 county boards of election and the board's directors and deputy directors.

A $1.9 million study commissioned by Brunner found "critical security failures" with Ohio's electronic voting systems that could affect the integrity of the state's elections. After the study, she proposed replacing touch screen machines in 57 counties — including Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Darke and Butler — with paper ballots read by optical scan machines.

Brunner said Tuesday she is sticking to her plan. "The study leaves me to reach no other conclusion," she said, adding that she would continue talking with local officials.

The association issued its response after listening politely last week as Brunner laid out her case for major changes in how Ohio conducts elections. After the meeting, Brunner backed away from some recommendations, including creating statewide multi-precinct voting centers in time for the general election. Now, she wants the group to compromise.

"If you want to look from a purely negotiating standpoint, I have made a number of concessions after talking with them," she said. "They need to move a little closer to the middle."

Contact this reporter at (614) 224-1608 or whershey@DaytonDailyNews.com.