Free Republic

Gov. John Kasich (KAY'-sik) on Monday appointed Ohio's former elections chief to a spot on the board that oversees repairs and improvements to the state's museums, historical buildings and sports stadiums. The Republican governor named former Democratic secretary of state and one-time U.S. Senate hopeful Jennifer Brunner (BROO'-ner) to the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission. Brunner preceded current Secretary of State Jon Husted (HYOO'-sted) and was defeated in the 2010 Democratic primary where she ran for former-U.S. Sen. George Voinovich's (VOYN'-uh-vihch) vacant seat after his retirement. She is currently leading the effort to repeal Ohio's recently-approved elections overhaul, which shortens the...

President Barack Obama is expected to nominate Richard Cordray to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Monday. The announcement means Obama has passed over Elizabeth Warren, the firebrand law professor who envisioned the bureau. If confirmed, Cordray's pick sets up formal leadership for the bureau created under the Wall Street reform bill passed last year. However, many Senate Republicans have vowed to block any nominee to head the bureau, which they argue lacks transparency and accountability. Warren was staunchly opposed by many business interests as well as members of Congress, and with an election year approaching, it was...

[T]his is from Thea Shoemake, Vice Chair of the Clermont County GOP Central Committee: On Wednesday, February 17, Steve Christopher spoke to the Clermont County Central Committee in Batavia...In addition to the signatures I procured for him in Clermont, a few other people who had been circulating his petitions here as well as in neighboring counties, came to the meeting that night to hand-deliver them to Steve. I’m estimating that he had – from that stop alone – approx. 300 signatures from Clermont, Warren & Hamilton counties (combined). It was my understanding that Steve was going to drive to Columbus...

Brunner OKs 4 minor parties for ballot Monday, January 4, 2010 11:34 PM By Mark Niquette THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Candidates from as many as six political parties could be on the ballot for governor or other offices in Ohio this year. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner issued a directive last week continuing ballot access for the Libertarian, Green, Socialist and Constitution parties in addition to the Democratic and Republican parties. The decision allows candidates of the four minor parties to qualify for the ballot under their party labels. Officials of the parties say they expect to have candidates for governor,...

Brunner spent more than she raised in latest quarter Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jennifer Brunner spent more than the $147,000 she raised during the most recent quarter that ended Sept. 30 and has less than $112,000 on hand, a report filed with the Federal Elections Commission shows. Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, her opponent in the May 2010 primary, reported raising $618,201 during the quarter with nearly $1.6 million cash on hand. Despite the fundraising difference, Brunner has vowed to make to the ballot. "There's some rumor-mongering going on that I'm getting out of the race," Brunner told The Dispatch last...

A blast from the past... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2119382/posts Jennifer Brunner and ACORN Boss and Whistleblower in Ohio Voter Fraud Posted on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 10:59:54 PM by jessduntno Acorn Whistleblower Moncrief worked for Karyn Gillette at ACORN...Karyn Gillette was Jennifer Brunners "very helpful" campaign consultant, mentioned in an interesting blog note, that has Jen working out of her office and going to a ballgame: "Posted by Rick Brunner - April 11, 2006 11:51 PM It was one of those wonderful afternoons when you feel really privileged to be able to be playing "hooky" from the office. Our candidate had gone earlier...

Joe Hallett commentary: Primary for U.S. Senate has Democrats walking on eggshells Sunday, July 19, 2009 3:40 AM By Joe Hallett Notice to politicians: We will hunt you down. Duck us, and we will find you. Then, we will ambush you. I delivered that warning, albeit more diplomatically, to Geri Prado on June 10, the day her candidate for the U.S. Senate changed his position on gay marriage. Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, who is locked in a bitter battle against Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner for the 2010 Democratic nomination for Senate, simply issued a statement that day confirming that...

Politics: The former Stuart Smalley becomes the 60th Democrat in the U.S. Senate, thanks to the community organizers at Acorn and the little-known Secretary of State Project. Is the system being rigged? Incumbent Republican Norm Coleman conceded defeat in the mother of all recounts in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race after the state's Supreme Court unanimously rejected his lawsuit. Arguably, his seat may have been lost the day in 2006 when Democrat Mark Ritchie defeated two-term incumbent Republican Mary Kiffmeyer to become Minnesota secretary of state. It was Ritchie who orchestrated the recount that gave Democratic challenger Franken a lead some...

Politics: The former Stuart Smalley becomes the 60th Democrat in the U.S. Senate, thanks to the community organizers at Acorn and the little-known Secretary of State Project. Is the system being rigged?Politics: The former Stuart Smalley becomes the 60th Democrat in the U.S. Senate, thanks to the community organizers at Acorn and the little-known Secretary of State Project. Is the system being rigged? Incumbent Republican Norm Coleman conceded defeat in the mother of all recounts in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race after the state's Supreme Court unanimously rejected his lawsuit. Arguably, his seat may have been lost the day in 2006...

Brunner says elections officials ready to handle heavy voter turnout COLUMBUS — Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner wanted to convince Ohio voters that elections officials are ready to handle a presidential election that Brunner predicts will see a turnout of 80 percent of the state's 8.3 million registered voters. Shortly after Brunner's press conference, Deputy Ohio Republican Chairman Kevin DeWine charged that because of the Democratic secretary of state's political maneuvering there's no reason to be confident. DeWine linked Brunner to Karyn Gillette, a former Brunner campaign consultant who was cited in testimony from a "whistleblower" in a lawsuit filed...

Editorial: Short takes Friday, March 27, 2009 2:55 AM • OHIO SECRETARY of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat who is running to fill the seat of retiring Ohio Republican Sen. George V. Voinovich, has launched one of the oddest political attacks in recent memory. Brunner said that Voinovich, who voted with his fellow Republican senators in an unsuccessful attempt to block the $787 billion economic-stimulus bill passed last month, should have voted for the measure. The reason? To spare taxpayers the cost of flying Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown by military aircraft from Mansfield to Washington to cast the deciding vote....

Ohio's notorious secretary of state, Jennifer Brunner, who openly defied federal election law last fall in accordance with ACORN's wishes, is running for the U.S. Senate. Brunner, a Democrat, refused to enforce the Help America Vote Act which required her to use a database to allow the verification of 600,000-plus registrations from new Ohio voters. Brunner admitted there were "discrepancies" on about 200,000 of the new registrations, but wouldn't give local election officials the registration data they needed to verify the validity of the registrations, as I recounted in the American Spectator. When she ran for state office, Brunner was...

Brunner, Fisher announce U.S. Senate bids May Democratic primary possible Tuesday, February 17, 2009 12:24 PM Updated: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 01:36 PM By Joe Hallett THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Two of the state's highest-ranking Democrats are announcing today that they will run in 2010 to replace retiring Republican U.S. Sen. George V. Voinovich. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher have informed supporters of their plans, potentially setting up a May primary between them. Brunner made her intentions public this morning and, shortly after noon, Fisher sent an e-mail to supporters announcing he was in the race....

Hey folks, Do you remember the rats who tried to whack Sarah? How about the shrew who allowed bogus ballots in Ohio? Ever thought of donating money to their opponents in their next election? Would be sweet if the conservatives sent a little payback via the ballot box. State Senator Hollis French http://www.hollisfrenchforsenate.com/ Ohio Secretary of state Jennifer Brunner http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/

27,000 county ballots on hold Federal judge or Brunner to decide which to count Saturday, November 15, 2008 3:26 AM By Barbara Carmen and Mark Niquette THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH More than 27,000 provisional ballots, needed to call the closest congressional race in the country, will wait for either a court ruling today or a tiebreaker vote Tuesday from Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. The Franklin County Board of Elections split along party lines in a stalemate last night that will temporarily delay counting those provisional ballots. But the board still expects to reveal and certify the official election results on...

Stivers' supporters sue Brunner over provisional ballots Thursday, November 13, 2008 5:03 PM By Mark Niquette THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A new lawsuit has been filed against Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner arguing that she is telling the Franklin County Board of Elections to count provisional ballots that state law says should be rejected. The case, filed in the Ohio Supreme Court, could affect the 15th Congressional District race and two Ohio House contests where the number of uncounted provisional ballots is higher than the unofficial vote margin separating the candidates. The lawsuit was filed by two Franklin County voters on...

Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat under fire from Republicans for her handling of the presidential election, says things turned out just fine at the polls. She made the comments on Thursday, Nov. 6, in an e-mail from her campaign committee - she’s expected to seek re-election in 2010 - not from the secretary of state’s office. Without naming her predecessor, she also criticized outgoing Republican Secretary of State Ken Blackwell. “With a dedicated and talented team, hard working boards of elections and the help of many others who care deeply about democracy, Ohio has turned the corner...

A Warren County magistrate said he'll decide tomorrow whether Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has to get proof that Barack Obama was born in the United States.

When the Supreme Court vacated the stay that had been issued in Ohio Republican Party v. Brunner last week, it did so based on the view that the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) does not authorize a lawsuit by a private party. The stay had ordered the Ohio Secretary of State to comply with the requirement in HAVA to verify the accuracy of the information provided on voter registration applications. The Supreme Court took some pains to make clear it was not disputing the district court and the Sixth Circuit’s en banc legal conclusion that Brunner was violating...

Columbus-area man has been charged with making a death threat against Ohio's top elections official. The State Highway Patrol says Dana McArtor, 51, of 687 Riviera Court in Hamilton Township, was arrested yesterday and charged with intimidation in connection with a threat phoned in last week to the office of Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. Brunner spokesman Jeff Ortega said a caller on Oct. 17 threatened to kill Brunner. McArtor was being held last night in the Franklin County jail without bond, pending an appearance in county Municipal Court this morning. The intimidation charge is a third-degree felony punishable by...

Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien is telling the presidential campaigns in Ohio that if their out-of-state staff members are just passing through for the Nov. 4 election with no plans to remain, they shouldn't vote in the state, either. O'Brien has spoken to attorneys for both campaigns and asked election officials to review the residency status of John McCain's and Barack Obama's staff members, as well as those of other get-out-the-vote groups, who have few Ohio ties but registered and requested absentee ballots. "One thing that is crystal-clear is the law -- if you are a temporary resident or a...

In Ohio, Charges Fly in Fight Over Absentee BallotsBy Mary Pat Flaherty Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, October 21, 2008; Page A05 Ohio Democrats and Republicans traded accusations yesterday as they continue to battle over absentee ballots and other voting issues. The charges came after a county prosecutor in Cincinnati subpoenaed the Hamilton County Elections Board for the records of 266 new voters who cast absentee ballots during a week-long period in September and early October, when Ohio residents could register and vote on the same day. County prosecutor Joseph T. Deters said he subpoenaed the records because a preliminary...

Brunner wants suit over voter registration moved to federal courtPosted by Reginald Fields/Plain Dealer Columbus Bureau October 20, 2008 10:44AM COLUMBUS -- Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner today asked that a case filed Friday at the Ohio Supreme Court be moved to a federal court in Columbus because the suit primarily deals with a question regarding the Help America Vote Act, a federal statute. The lawsuit was filed by Columbus-area Republican fund-raiser David Myhal, whose firm has helped the election campaigns of four of the seven justices on the all-Republican Ohio Supreme Court. After the U.S. Supreme Court Friday...

We are told that we should ignore the obvious voter registration fraud of ACORN because the Ohio Secretary of State says these registration discrepancies are likely nothing more than data entry errors. Yet she has fought every single effort to allow the county elections boards to have access to the BVM and Social Security databases so that they could make that determination themselves. The question is why? Perhaps this explains it. Glitches fill Ohio voter rolls In Hamilton County, 17 people are registered to vote from riverfront addresses south of Mehring Way - places with street numbers that would put...

People line up to go to the Lorain County Board of Elections during a voter registration drive earlier this month.Having lost before the U.S. Supreme Court in a lawsuit involving the verification of new voter registrations, Republicans now are turning to the Ohio Supreme Court. David Myhal, a Republican from New Albany, filed a lawsuit this afternoon asking the state's highest court to issue an order related to instances when new voter information doesn't match records in state or federal databases. Specifically, the lawsuit asks the Ohio Supreme Court to require Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to order county elections...

Under Ohio's constitution and laws, there are two ways to remove a statewide elected official: impeachment by the legislature, or through a complaint signed by at least 603,413 qualified electors that is filed and tried in court.The constitution says an officeholder can be impeached "for any misdemeanor in office," but that doesn't necessarily refer to a crime, said Steven F. Huefner, an associate law professor at Ohio State University, and Steven H. Steinglass, a law professor and dean emeritus at Cleveland State University. Rather, "misdemeanor" in this context refers more generically to any misdeed, and that ultimately is defined by...

To be filed under “suspicions confirmed,� patently partisan-for-Obama supporter Democrat Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer “I-never-met-an-ACORN-worker-I-didn’t-like� Brunner has stomped her feet and decided that she should not be required to do her job; that of protecting Ohio voters from election fraud.  She has also decided that she will elicit help from the US Supreme Court in upholding her desire.

As I suggested in a previous post, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer might appeal the decision by the US Court of Appeals requiring her to verify voter registrations to the Supreme Court. Well, unfortunately I was correct. Vote case appealed to U.S. Supreme Court If county election officials can’t verify that mismatched Ohioans are qualified to vote, they can ask voters to cast provisional ballots rather than regular ones until residency or other identification is checked. Their votes could be counted after Election Day or not counted at all. Brunner, in an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, said she...

Updated: The tip was accurate, but the Cleveland Plain Dealer got the story out first. See update after background. Okay, that's what we have at the moment. Yesterday's majority decision, penned by former Ohio Solicitor Jeffrey Sutton, said, "Nothing about this case, or the relief (Ohio Republicans, who brought the suit) seek will allow them to prevent a single voter from casting a ballot in the November election ... "At most, the identification of a mismatch allows a county board to investigate whether the mismatch has a legitimate explanation (say, a recent change of address)." The practical effect, Sutton...

A 3-judge panel of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals recently vacated a temporary restraining order which would effectively make Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner follow the law - and do her job - in preventing election fraud. Tonight, the full court decided to hear the case en banc, and has reimposed the TRO. This is great news.

The reporters from Palestra.net just posted a look at what they've found so far in Ohio's early voting period. It's long, but really interesting and pretty damning. They've got the requisite ACORN "victim" talking about registering so often she can't even guess how many times she's signed up. However there's also some really interesting stuff about supposedly non-partisan volunteers pushing for people to vote for Obama, groups bringing in large numbers of homeless people to vote, and people not having to show IDs to vote. They've done a really good job pushing this story so far (two of their reporters...

Anyone know if they're appealing? They should.

CINCINNATI - A federal appeals court sided with Ohio's top elections official Friday in her running battle with Republicans over how to verify the eligibility of newly registered voters. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals set aside a federal judge's order a day earlier that Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner institute the means to verify voter registration information and make it available to Ohio's 88 county election boards.

Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is breaking federal law by not giving county elections boards the chance to determine whether new voter registrations are fraudulent, a federal judge ruled tonight. “It is hard to imagine a public interest more compelling than safeguarding the legitimacy of the election of the president of the United States,” said Judge George C. Smith of U.S. District Court in Columbus, in upholding the Ohio Republican Party’s request for a court order. Smith, appointed by President Reagan, said the Help America Vote Act requires states not only to verify the identity of newly registered voters...

Brunner's ballot policy illegal, judge rules Thursday, October 9, 2008 8:09 PM By Darrel Rowland and Mark Niquette THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is breaking federal law by not giving county elections boards the chance to determine whether new voter registrations are fraudulent, a federal judge ruled tonight. "It is hard to imagine a public interest more compelling than safeguarding the legitimacy of the election of the president of the United States," said Judge George C. Smith of U.S. District Court in Columbus, in agreeing with the Ohio Republican Party's request for a court order. Smith,...

Red flags on voter records may lead to nothing Tuesday, October 7, 2008 3:02 AM By Mark Niquette THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH DispatchPolitics After new voters in Ohio provide a driver's license number or part of their Social Security number to register, an automatic computer check is done to determine whether that information matches existing state or federal records. But when the numbers don't match, what happens? Virtually nothing. The lack of follow-through has become the latest legal dispute between Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Republicans, especially with Ohioans able to register to vote and immediately cast an absentee...

Republicans sue Brunner over voting observers Friday, October 3, 2008 4:27 PM By Mark Niquette THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Republicans filed a new lawsuit today in the Ohio Supreme Court against Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, this time challenging her position not to allow observers at in-person absentee voting sites. The lawsuit was filed this afternoon by former Franklin County Commissioner Dewey Stokes, who said he was turned away as an observer today. It is the latest in a series of lawsuits over disputes about absentee voting in Ohio. Brunner has advised county elections boards that because the legislature specifically...

GOP wins one: Ohio ordered to accept McCain absentee ballot applications Posted by Reginald Fields October 02, 2008 15:13PM Categories: Real Time News The Ohio Supreme Court today ordered Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to accept absentee ballot applications that do not contain a checked box indicating the person is a qualified elector. The applications were mailed to registered Ohio voters by the presidential campaign of Republican Sen. John McCain. But thousands have been returned without a checkmark in a box stating the requester is qualified to vote in Ohio. Brunner, a Democrat, issued a directive last month telling county...

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — For weeks, the Ohio GOP accused the state's Democratic elections chief of interpreting early voting law to benefit her own party in a crucial swing state. But the Republican-dominated Ohio Supreme Court decided on Monday that Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner was following the law when she ruled there is a six-day window in which voters can register and vote at the same time. The decision — also backed by two separate federal judges — means election officials are preparing for the rush of early voting Tuesday, the first day absentee ballots are accepted in advance...

Republicans bumped from election posts in recent weeks say Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is carrying out a partisan campaign to get rid of dissenters. They say they were removed for disagreeing with her viewpoints. They wonder if party affiliation played a role. But in an interview on Thursday, Brunner, a Democrat, said her decisions were justified and not politically influenced. Brunner, who replaced Republican Ken Blackwell last year, likened the situation to the early 1990s, when Democrats clung to their fading influence as the Ohio GOP gained power. "This is what's happening here," she said. An election law expert...

Duh! But...the runners-up are fascinating. Folks, it is official. An on-line quiz proves that I'm 100% Catholic. Finally, an independent instrument confirms what we all suspected, including myself, of what my theological worldview. There you have it, in black-and-white! You scored as Roman Catholic. You are Roman Catholic. Church tradition and ecclesial authority are hugely important, and the most important part of worship for you is mass. As the Mother of God, Mary is important in your theology, and as the communion of saints includes the living and the dead, you can also ask the saints to intercede for you....

April/May 2000 In This Issue From the EditorThe Arab/Muslim Nazi ConnectionOld Man and the SeaIDF Leaving Lebanon After Assad Sinks Golan DealOslo in a RutSchedule Revised, But Same Old Issues Plague Israel-PA TalksMixing Faith And PoliticsIsrael, PA Court Pope During Holy Land TourViewpoint - Les Enfants TerriblesNews BriefsMiddle East Hourglass Top of Page Top of Page Top of Page Top of Page Top of Page Top of Page The Arab/Muslim Nazi Connection Left: A picture taken in 1943 of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin el-Husseini reviewing Bosnian-Muslim troops - a unit of the "Hanjar (Saber) Division" of...