Cle PD:Blackwell's legacy looming over race for secretary of state

[Kolesar]

"What we have not had in the secretary of state's office is a secretary of state who will really act as the chief elections officer," said Brunner, a former county judge. "Things have sort of evolved to where we kind of have this patchwork of elections procedures in the state."
...
But in the final full month before the Nov. 7 election, the candidates have definitely grabbed each other's attention, and they turned nasty to get it. And neither has paid any attention to the two longshot independent candidates on the ballot: Tim Kettler and John Eastman.

(Brunner spoke in a roundtable with Kettler & Eastman at the Elections and Democracy Conference last month. I don't think the Plain Dealer sent a reporter--TBA)

Brunner has called Hartmann dishonest for failing to disclose a misdemeanor conviction 19 years ago when he was a college undergraduate. Hartmann has railed on Brunner's judicial record, in particular what he considers slap-on-the-wrist sentencing of identity thieves.

Brunner, a former legislative counselor in the secretary of state's office, enjoys debating elections law. She's quick to lock arms with out-of-state Democrats who have come to help her as she campaigns full time, having quit her job as a Franklin County judge last fall. She insists she would not campaign for issues or candidates if she were secretary.
...
Brunner believes voter suppression is a bigger issue than voting fraud, and supports several lawsuits from groups hoping to continue reviewing ballots from the 2004 election.

Brunner said she would make voting guidelines uniform from county to county: from rules on how people can register to vote, to training of poll workers, to which machines are used and how they are audited.
http://www.cleveland.com/election/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1161161304289790.xml&coll=2