Jennifer Brunner

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix =
name = Jennifer L. Brunner
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office = Ohio Secretary of State
term_start = January 8, 2007
term_end = present
governor = Ted Strickland
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succeeding =
predecessor = J. Kenneth Blackwell
successor = incumbent
order2 = Judge Of Court Of Common Pleas
constituency2 = Franklin County
term_start2 = 2001
term_end2 = September 1, 2005
alongside2 = Richard S. Sheward, David W. Fais, Daniel T. Hogan
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birth_date = birth date and age|1957|2|5
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nationality = USA
party = Democratic Party
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spouse = Rick Brunner
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children = three
residence = city-state|Columbus|Ohio
alma_mater = Miami University, B.A. cum laude
Capital University Law School, J.D. with honors
occupation =
profession = Politician
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Jennifer Lee Brunner (born February 5, 1957) is an American politician of the Democratic Party who currently serves as the Ohio Secretary of State. Brunner is the first woman to serve in this capacity.cite web|url=http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/secBrunner/Biography.aspx|title=Biography|accessdate=2008-10-10|publisher=Ohio.gov|work=www.sos.state.oh.us] She assumed control of the office after sixteen years of Republican control, which included two four-year terms by her predecessor J. Kenneth Blackwell who oversaw the controversial 2000 and 2004 United States elections. Brunner has worked in the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office and served as a County Judge in Ohio.

As Secretary of State, she has been actively involved in evaluating and adjusting statewide election systems. Her efforts have focussed on correcting the procedural election difficulties that Ohio has become known for. She has evaluated voting mechanism and instituted policy changes. She has argued policy regarding same day voting, privacy of social security information, and foreclosure-related voter eligibility. She has advocated for availability and access of voting to all. In her first few years in statewide office, she gained a partisan reputation.

Career

Brunner previously worked in the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office as a deputy director and legislative counsel to the Ohio General Assembly during the administration of Sherrod Brown. She then began a statewide law practice focusing on election law. In 2000, Brunner was elected to an unexpired term on the Franklin County Common Pleas Court. She was reelected in 2002. [cite web|url=http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/elections/electResultsMain/2002Results/pdcommon.aspx|title=Democratic Judge Of Court Of Common Pleas: Official Tabulation: May 7, 2002|accessdate=2008-10-11|publisher=Ohio.gov|work=www.sos.state.oh.us] cite web|url=http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/elections/electResultsMain/2002Results/common.aspx|title=Judge Of Court Of Common Pleas: Official Tabulation: November 5, 2002|accessdate=2008-10-11|publisher=Ohio.gov|work=www.sos.state.oh.us] She resigned from the Court on September 1, 2005, to run for Secretary of State. She ran unopposed in the May 2, 2006 Democratic Primary. [cite web|url=http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/elections/electResultsMain/2006ElectionsResults/06-0502DemSoS.aspx|title=Democratic Secretary Of State: May 2, 2006|accessdate=2008-10-11|publisher=Ohio.gov|work=www.sos.state.oh.us] On November 7, 2006, she defeated Republican Greg Hartmann in the 2006 general election by a 55%–40% margin and took office on January 8, 2007.cite web|url=http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/elections/electResultsMain/2006ElectionsResults/06-1107SoS.aspx|title=Secretary Of State: November 7, 2006|accessdate=2008-10-11|publisher=Ohio.gov|work=www.sos.state.oh.us] Since the office is one that serves as a keeper of public records, the histories of the two candidates' vigilance against identity theft was an important issue. [cite web|url=http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/view/news/121|title=Secretary of state candidate at center of storm over ID thefts: Despite warnings, lawsuits, GOP's Hartmann kept info on court Web site|accessdate=2008-10-11|date=2006-10-15|publisher=Jennifer Brunner Committee|work=The Dayton Daily News|author=Bischoff, Laura A.]

Ohio is notorious for its 2000 and 2004 Election Day problems. The state had hours-long lines at polling places in its major cities in 2004 and a fraud scandal in Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland, that led to the convictions of two elections workers on rigging recounts and Ms. Brunner’s takeover of the county board of elections. In September 2007, Brunner announced extensive efforts to identify and correct serious problems with the security and reliability of voting machines in time for the March 4, 2008 Ohio Democratic and Republican primaries.cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/27/us/politics/27vote.html?|title=Ohio to Test Vote Systems Before March|accessdate=2008-10-10|date=2007-09-27|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times|author=Driehaus, Bob] In a US$1.9 million federally financed study released December 14, 2007, Brunner reported the results of tests of all five voting systems used in Ohio. All systems had major flaws. The study focused on security; reliability of the equipment and the systems; the software configuration; and procedures of the local officials. Security and procedures were seen to be serious problems. The security level of the computer equipment did not match the contemporaneous levels of security used in other information-sensitive industries.

She has advocated the replacement of all Ohio voting machines, including the direct-recording electronic (DRE) touch-screen ones used in more than 50 of Ohio's 88 counties.cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/15/us/15ohio.html?|title=Ohio Elections Official Calls Machines Flawed|accessdate=2008-10-10|date=2007-12-15|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times|author=Driehaus, Bob] Brunner supports a move to paper ballots, which would use optical scanning. As a result of the study, during the March 2008 primaries, paper ballots were suppose to be available at all polling places for voters who preferred them. The paper ballots also served as a backup for machine failures. Brunner mandated a paper ballot election for the November 2008 general election. [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9504E7DF1639F935A15750C0A96E9C8B63|title=NATIONAL BRIEFING | MIDWEST; Ohio: Sample Recount of Primary Vote Is Requested|accessdate=2008-10-11|date=2008-03-26|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times] This was due both to the study and problems faced during the 2007 election with touch screen electronic voting machines. However, the Republican-controlled Ohio General Assembly has not addressed the subject of funding an all-paper ballot. As a result, Brunner has had to focus on addressing the procedures instead of the inherent lack of technical security.

ecretary of State accomplishments

In January, Brunner proposed a plan that would allow counties to recruit poll workers by mail, who would then undertake two paid training days, and work a paid eight-hour shift at the polls on election day.cite news |title=Ohio considers poll worker draft |url=http://www.wstm.com/Global/story.asp?S=5999483 |publisher=Associated Press and WSTM-TV |date=2007-01-28 |accessdate=2007-03-21 ] Brunner explained the plan in an interview:

"In terms of Ohio and what happened in the 2004 presidential election, there has been a crisis in confidence in our election system in Ohio, both nationally and in our state. One of the quickest ways to repair that is to make sure that we have adequate numbers of poll workers. ... We suggested this as one tool that the boards of elections would have available to them for recruiting poll workers. We would be looking to do this similar to how we recruit jurors, only jurors are recruited for two weeks of service whereas we'd only be asking for three days. It would also allow us to offer split shifts to poll workers. In Ohio the polling places are open for thirteen hours, so essentially a poll worker works at least fourteen hours; with the average age of our poll workers at 72, that's a tough day for anyone, no matter what their age is. ... It's an option, and we can even include a trigger, so that a county has to be deficient by a certain percentage of poll workers to even be able to use this."cite news |first=Melissa |last=Block |authorlink=Melissa Block |title=Ohio Considers a Draft System for Poll Workers |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7085614 |format=audio interview |work=All Things Considered |publisher=National Public Radio |date=2007-01-30 |accessdate=2007-03-21 ]

In the initial proposal it was not yet decided what wages would be paid, and whether refusing recruitment would result in penalties. The proposal will be decided by the Ohio General Assembly.

Brunner has established the Voting Right Institute (VRI) to improve voter access to elections in Ohio. The VRI has instituted a “Grads Vote” program which supplies voter registration forms to all graduating high school senior. The VRI has also partnered with the U.S. Postal Service to include voter registration forms in government moving packets and with the Overseas Vote Foundation to improve online absentee ballot applications for overseas and military voters.

Quote box
quote = "Compared to the last presidential election [in 2004] , this state has gone from intensive care to walking on crutches. By November [2008] , we’ll be walking normally like everyone else."
source = —Jennifer Brunner (March 2008)
width = 25%
align = leftShe has also moved to shield social security information and other private information from public view for millions of online records and coordinated with the Ohio General Assembly to preventing the filing of private information.

Brunner worked with Ohio's 88 county boards of elections and thousands of poll workers to ensure record voter turnout in the March Presidential primaries. [cite web|url=http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1719573,00.html|title=Clinton Camp Confident of Comeback|accessdate=2008-10-10|date=2008-03-04|publisher=Time Inc.|work=Time|author=Maag, Christopher] Despite the record turnout, the primary was marred by paper ballot shortages, bomb threats, ice storms and power failures.cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/us/politics/06vote.html?|title=Turnout, Technology and Nature Marred Balloting in Ohio|accessdate=2008-10-10|date=2008-03-06|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times|author=Urbina, Ian and Randy Kennedy] In addition, flooding forced the relocation of some polling places in southeastern Ohio. [cite web|url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/ohio-flooding-thwarts-some-voting/?|title=Ohio Flooding Thwarts Some Voting|accessdate=2008-10-10|date=2008-03-04|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times|author=Phillips, Kate] 21 precints in the Cleveland metropolitan area were held open for an extra 90 minutes due to paper ballot shortages.cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/us/politics/05vote.html?|title=Ballot Shortages Plague Ohio Election Amid Unusually Heavy Primary Turnout|accessdate=2008-10-10|date=2008-03-05|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times|author=Urbina, Ian] Brunner claimed that in Clermont and Summit Counties ballots ran out because of the number of Republicans who voted in the Democratic primary and that only Democratic ballots ran out.

Brunner has spoken out against election officials taking voting machines home with them in the days before an election. Such actions have allowed hacking even though it makes transport and delivery to the eventual polling place simpler. Some elections officials say they feel the system is better if elections officials keep an eye on machines the days before the elections. Brunner says poll workers have sometimes cast ballots on machines in their homes. She issued the following directive on the matter: "We want Ohio’s voters and the rest of the nation to see that we have prepared a transparent process of transporting voting equipment, ballots and supplies. That begins with security practices at boards of elections and polling places, documented chain of custody, and now procedures to make secure voting machine delivery." She has ordered bipartisan transport teams and proscribed storage conditions such as humidity. The federal government will subsidize the cost of her mandate. [cite web|url=http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/19/mom-can-my-voting-machine-spend-the-night/?|title=Mom, Can My Voting Machine Spend the Night?|accessdate=2008-10-11|date=2008-08-19|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times|author=O'Connor, Anahad]

2008 general election

ame day voter registration

In Ohio, there is a brief period, known as overlap voting, when absentee voting has started and before the close of voter registration. In 2008, this period ran from September 30 until October 6.cite web|url=http://www.democracynow.org/2008/10/9/ohio_secretary_of_state_jennifer_brunner|title=Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner on Voter Rights, Faulty Electronic Voting Machines, Voter Fraud and GOP Voter Challenges|accessdate=2008-10-11|date=2008-10-09|publisher=democracynow.org] On August 13, 2008, Brunner ordered county election board officials to establish procedures to enable voters who register to be immediately issued an absentee ballot. [cite web|url=http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/14/new-ohio-voter-registration-rules-irk-gop/|title=New Ohio Voter Registration Rules Irk GOP|accessdate=2008-10-10|date=2008-08-14|publisher=FOX News Network, LLC.|work=FoxNews.com] The Republican Party opposed the same day voting plan and fought it in several Ohio Courts. Ohio Republican officials and Republican voters argued in separate lawsuits that Ohio law requires voters to be registered for 30 days before they cast an absentee ballot. On September 29, 2008 (a day after lower state and federal courts overruled GOP objections to same-day registration and voting or GOP requests for mandated ballot segregation and verification) the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in city-state|Cincinnati|Ohio rejected Republican efforts to stop the plan.cite web|url=http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/09/us-appeals-cour.html|title=U.S. appeals court OK same-day registration, voting in Ohio|accessdate=2008-10-10|date=2008-09-30|publisher=USA Today|work=USAToday.com|author=Winter, Michael] United States district court judge James Gwin in city-state|Cleveland|Ohio also ruled against the Republicans and issued a restraining order to enforce Brunners plan. In city-state|Columbus|Ohio, U.S. District Judge George Smith declined to rule on another statewide challenge, deferring to the state Supreme Court's decision. The rulings, which opened a window to register and vote on the same day until the absentee ballot deadline on October 6, 2008, was upheld by the Ohio Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision in which two Republican jurists recused themselves and were replaced by a one Republican and one Democrat by Chief Justice Thomas Moyer. The normal roster of Ohio Supreme Court jurists is all Republican and the lone Democrat replacement cast the tie-breaking vote.cite web|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080929/ap_on_el_pr/ohio_early_voting|title=State, federal courts uphold early voting in Ohio|accessdate=2008-10-10|date=2008-09-29|publisher=Yahoo! Inc.|work=Yahoo! News|author=Majors, Stephen] The dissenters noted that Ohio's Constitution requires that a person register to vote 30 days in before voting. [cite web|url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/10062008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/voter_fraud_chaos_132278.htm|title=Voter-Fraud Chaos: Dems' 'November Surprise'?|accessdate=2008-10-11|date=2008-10-06|publisher=NYP Holdings, Inc.|work=NewYorkPost.com|author=Blackwell, Ken and Ken Klukowski] Brunner ordered segregation of same-day-registration ballots and verification of them before counting them on Election Day, November 4, 2008. In related proceedings on September 30, 2008, Judge Smith of The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, in Columbus had granted an Ohio Republican Party request for a restraining order that would mandate election observers during early voting.cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/us/politics/30ohio.html|title=Courts Allow Early Voting Week in Ohio|accessdate=2008-10-10|date=2008-09-29|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times] Brunner prevailed in the appellate court which ruled that the district court “abused its discretion” in granting the restraining order.cite web|url=http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/10/01/ohio-gets-green-light-on-same-day-registration-and-voting/|title=Ohio Gets Green Light on Same-Day Registration and Voting|accessdate=2008-10-10|date=2008-10-01|publisher=Dow Jones & Company, Inc.|work=The Wall Street Journal|author=Merrick, Amy]

The same day registration ballots are subject to the standard Ohio notification card protocol whereby a postcard is sent to the newly registered address to determine assist in determining the validity of the address. A card that comes back marked return to sender is of course questioned and marked on the voter rolls. Additionally, the boards of elections submit new voter registrations into a database in the office of the Ohio Secretary of State. The information is matched with driver's licenses on an Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles database and failing a match there it is sent to the Social Security Administration to pursue a match.

Other issues

One month before the 2008 United States election, 5% of Ohio mortgages were either severly delinquent or in foreclosure. There were 67,000 foreclosure actions in the first half of 2008. Republicans are expected to attempt to use foreclosure lists to block voters. Brunner has warned all election boards that involvement in a foreclosure is not, by itself, sufficient basis for challenging enfranchisement.cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/opinion/05sun2.html?|title=Foreclosures and the Right to Vote|accessdate=2008-10-10|date=2008-10-04|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times]

Ohio (along with Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina) is one of six states expected to be heavily affected by compliance with the 2002 Help America Vote Act. Due to the disproportionate voter registration by Democrats it is anticipated that much of the confusion at the polling places will be for challenges to newly-registered Democrats who have been delisted from the ranks of registered voters. It appears that Ohio is improperly using social security information to verify new voter registration. Michael J. Astrue, commissioner of the Social Security Administration, alerted the United States Department of Justice and sent letters to six states including Ohio to ensure compliance with federal law. Ohio Republican officials have already filed paperwork that Brunner feels this is an attempt to establish grounds for contesting ballots on election day. The paperwork requires use of provisional ballots by persons with discrepant registrations.cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/us/politics/09voting.html?|title=States’ Actions to Block Voters Appear Illegal|accessdate=2008-10-10|date=2008-10-08|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times|author=Urbina, Ian] On October 9, 2008, the Republicans also were granted an order against Brunner by Judge Smith requiring that Brunner must perform voter registration verification according to the Help America Vote Act. Matching new registrants' information against Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles or the Social Security Administration databases is one of the requirements. [cite web|url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hUHafp1cxJ8ULtxqbf9fo0lw-pegD93NCBV00|title=Ohio secretary of state must verify registrations|accessdate=2008-10-11|date=2008-10-09|publisher=The Associated Press|author=Smyh, Julie Carr] Challenges to mismatched registrations, which force the use of provisional ballots, must be filed twenty days prior to the election. Legal expert Greta Van Susteren viewed the ruling as a significant breaking news story and interviewed Brunner on her show "On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren" the day it was made. Van Susteren interpreted the ruling as a statement that Brunner has not been taking sufficient steps to prevent voter fraud. [cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,435744,00.html|title=Ohio Secretary of State on ACORN Voter Fraud Allegations 'On the Record'|accessdate=2008-10-11|date=2008-10-10|publisher=FOX News Network, LLC|work=Foxnews.com] "Democracy Now!" also interviewed Brunner on that day, but they did so before the final verdict.

Cincinnati.com, the online arm of The Cincinnati Enquirer, describes Brunner as having a "reputation as the most partisan state official in Ohio". This is partly because after entering office, she took immediate action against Republican county elections officials, including Robert T. Bennett, Ohio Republican Party Chairman. However, more recently, she has been accused of partisanship by her former Secretary of State opponent in the 2008 general election. He claims that she has set policy in order to throw out absentee ballots likely to be cast for the John McCain-Sarah Palin ticket.cite web|url=http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080923/COL05/809230318/1055/news|title=If Ohio polling looks like Chicago, 'thank' Brunner|accessdate=2008-10-11|date=2008-09-23|publisher=The Enquirer|work=Cincinnati.com|author=Bronson, Peter]

The 2008 general election is expected to be marred by Diebold electronic voting machines that have malfunctioned on vote transfers from the local precinct machines to the county election board headquarters. Brunner is suing Diebold for other types of vote-dropping malfunctions. [cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/opinion/09thu2.html?|title=That’s a Pretty Big Glitch|accessdate=2008-10-11|date=2008-10-08|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times] Fifty-three of Eighty-eight counties will be using the problematic touch screen electronic voting machines. The machines had also mysteriously crashed and their printers had jammed in the 2007 elections.cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/magazine/06Vote-t.html?|title=Can You Count on Voting Machines?|accessdate=2008-10-11|date=2008-01-07|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times|author=Thompson, Clive] Brunner feels that electronic machines should be avoided until they achieve the same security standards as the computer equipment in the banking and communications industries.cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/idg/IDG_852573C400693880002574D60068D23D.html?|title=States ready e-voting systems as Election Day approaches|accessdate=2008-10-11|date=2008-10-02|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times|author=Weiss, Todd R.] She issued a report that both Premier Election Solutions (a Diebold subsidiary) and Hart and Election Systems & Software produce electronic voting systems with severe security flaws. [cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/19/us/politics/19voting.html?|title=Colorado Decertifies Machines for Voting|accessdate=2008-10-11|date=2007-12-19|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times|author=Frosch, Dan]

Brunner has made several specific efforts to alleviate some of the past voting difficulties. 2008 is the first Ohio election that permits absentee voting as a matter of preference without any justification for need. This resulted in a record number of absentee ballots. Additionally, voting machine redistribution has been closely studied with the hope of alleviating long waits in problem areas. Redistribution is based on past turnout, new registrations, any recent purges under the National Voter Registration Act, and the number of ballot issues in the district. Each precinct has been supplied with sufficient paper ballots to accommodate 25% number of voters who voted in the previous presidential election.

Brunner has noted that only incarcerated convicted felons become ineligible to vote in Ohio. Thus, persons incarcerated for misdemeanors and persons detained in prisons awaiting new trials can vote directly from prison.

Personal

Brunner earned a B.A. in sociology-gerontology, cum laude, from Miami University and a J.D. from Capital University Law School with honors. Brunner is a resident of Columbus, Ohio. She and her husband, Rick, have been married 28 years and have three adult children.

In March 2008, Brunner was given the Profile in Courage Award by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. She earned the award for challenging the reliability of electronic voting in order to protect the right to vote in Ohio. The award was announced on March 18, 2008. [cite web|url=http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK+Library+and+Museum/News+and+Press/California+and+Ohio+Secretaries+of+State+Named+2008+JFK+Profile+in+Courage+Award+Recipients+Former+M.htm|title=California and Ohio Secretaries of State Named 2008 JFK Profile in Courage Award Recipients - Former Mississippi Governor Honored for Lifetime Achievement|accessdate=2008-10-10|publisher=2008-03-18|publisher=John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum|author=Carney, Brent] She received the award May 12, 2008. [cite web|url=http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/Jennifer-Brunner-receives-Profile-in-Courage-Award-/1210607853.html|title=Jennifer Brunner receives Profile in Courage Award (acceptance speech video)|accessdate=2008-10-11|date=2008-05-12|work=NECN.com]

General election results

Notes

External links

* [http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/biography_full.shtml Campaign biography of Brunner]