Boehner Signs Letter to A.G. Mukasey Asking the Justice Department Compel OH Secretary of State to Comply with Federal Law

Release:

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) has signed onto a letter [PDF] to U.S. Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey requesting the U.S. Department of Justice use its authority to compel Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to comply with the Help America Vote Act. The U.S. Supreme Court last week vacated a lower court ruling that ordered Brunner to provide Ohio county election officials with statewide resources to verify new voter registrations. The Supreme Court’s ruling was based on “the lack of standing of a private party to enforce HAVA’s requirements” and not on whether Brunner was acting in accordance with HAVA.

“As the eyes of the nation once again turn to Ohio in this critical election, partisan politics are making a mockery of our electoral system. Secretary of State Brunner has wasted countless tax dollars and the precious little time we have before the election to fight against protecting the rights of eligible Ohio voters to cast their ballots without questioning whether their votes will count. It is imperative that every Ohioan who is eligible to vote have confidence in our system and the best way to assure voters that this election is fair is to cross-check newly registered voters maintained in the Secretary of State’s database. Secretary Brunner’s shameful partisan actions are a black eye on the Buckeye State.”

NOTE: A Rasmussen poll released last week showed that just 53 percent of Ohio voters believe their votes will be counted properly. Forty-five percent of those polled believe that people who shouldn’t be allowed to vote will do so and 28 percent said that it’s more likely that eligible voters will be denied a chance to cast a ballot. The poll also showed that 80 percent of Ohio voters believe that a driver’s license or other photo ID should be required before voting.

The Oct. 20, 2008 letter was signed by the following Ohio lawmakers: Reps. John Boehner (R-West Chester), Steve Chabot (R-Westwood), Jim Jordan (R-Urbana), David Hobson (R-Springfield), Jean Schmidt (R-Miami Township), Robert Latta (R-Bowling Green), Ralph Regula (R-Navarre), Patrick Tiberi (R-Genoa Township) and Deborah Pryce (R-Upper Arlington).