ACLU Sues Ohio Over E-Voting Changes
Suit Argues Tabulating Votes At Central Location Could Lead To Increased Error, Tossed Ballots
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CLEVELAND, Ohio, Jan. 17, 2008
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Ohio voters casting votes electronically in 2004. The Secretary of State has ordered changes to the state's voting systems, which has many election officials balking. Now the ACLU has filed a lawsuit, claiming the new rules will not adequately protect voters. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
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(CBS/AP) A federal lawsuit filed Thursday seeks to block Ohio's biggest county from moving ahead with plans to switch to a paper voting system for the March 4 presidential primary.
The American Civil Liberties Union's lawsuit argues that the system to be put in place in Cuyahoga County violates voters' constitutional rights because it doesn't allow them to review their ballots and correct errors.
In most counties with optical scanners, cast ballots can be immediately counted at the precinct level, allowing a voter to make a correction if a ballot is rejected due to a mistake, such as voting for too many candidates, the ACLU said.
But a centralized vote tabulation would not give voters in the precincts notice of ballot errors - and the opportunity to correct mistakes that could invalidate their votes, the ACLU alleges. The suit says it is therefore unconstitutional and violates the Voting Rights Act.
With more than 1 million registered voters, Cuyahoga County plans to send paper ballots filled out by voters to a central location - the Board of Election's warehouse near downtown Cleveland - to be scanned and counted.
Cuyahoga elections have been a major concern for Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner due to persistent problems adjusting to the touch-screen voting system supplied by Premier Elections Solutions. The county is hurriedly switching from electronic touch-screen machines to the new system after prodding from Brunner, a Democrat who considers optical-scan voting to be more secure.
The ACLU lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court names Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and the county's three commissioners.
