Ohio Secretary of State Brunner made good on her threat to air the dirty laundry of the elections board if the four members didn't resign last Wednesday. Two of the members -- both Democrats -- did resign. The holdouts are the two Republicans.
In Brunner's complaint, released Friday, she accuses board chair Robert Bennett and board member Sally Florkiewicz of violating state election law in five areas:
* Failure to adopt adequate procedures for election recounts resulting in the felony convictions of two board employees.
* Failure to manage competently the board's financial affairs.
* Failure to ensure the efficient administration of elections in 2004 through 2006.
* Failure to ensure an acceptable level of performance of voting equipment.
* Election administration in Cuyahoga County has led to a lack of public confidence in elections in the county.
A hearing is scheduled for April 2 to discuss the complaint if the two board members don't resign before then. Florkiewicz's term is supposed to end officially February 28, 2008, while Bennett's ends February 28, 2010.
Remember, this all stems from the 2004 presidential recount in Ohio. But problems with recount procedures in Cuyahoga continued after that election and were especially evident in the May 2006 primary, as described in two reports.
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