Arnebeck, one of the principals behind a federal lawsuit alleging voter suppression in 2004, held a press conference yesterday to go over the evidence he and his group are taking to Dann. The group hopes Dann will do what new Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has steadfastly refused to do, despite her campaign mantra of making Ohio elections "free, fair, open and honest" again, which is to dig out the truth surrounding the 2004 election from the mountain of myth that covers it.

DANN, DANN, WILL HE BE THEIR MAN?

In published reports by The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, the Columbus Dispatch and the (Toledo) Blade, Arnebeck said he wants Dann to use his authority under HB 3, Ohio' controversial election-reform law passed in 2006, to undertake criminal investigations into wide-ranging allegations of voter fraud before and during the 2004 General Election.

As reported by the Blade, Arnebeck said the purpose of the lawsuit was not to overturn the election results from 2004 but to "prevent similar activities in next year's presidential election" but to identify those who perpetrated the alleged election frauds of 2004 and bring them to justice.

"What we're saying is there's probable cause that a crime has been committed, and it needs to be investigated. With the power of the public authorities, we think they can determine exactly how this was done, who did it, and hold them accountable." Clifford Arnebeck, Blade

Arnebeck said he'll give Dann "books and other evidence, including photographs of ballots that allegedly were tampered with," then hope Ohio's rampaging and rambunctious AG will then convene a grand jury proceeding that will follow through with criminal indictments.

Offering little more than perfunctory words, a Dann spokesman said the office will "look at the information" submitted by Arnebeck and his supporters, who include Bob Fitrakis, a lawyer, political science professor and the 2006 Green Party candidate for governor, and Richard Hayes Phillips, a private investigator hired by Arnebeck.  

IN A SEPARATE ACTION, OTHERS EXPRESS CONCERN OVER 2004 ELECTION AND NEW SOS's REVIEW OF VOTING MACHINES

Maybe the low turnout of reporters Wednesday could be attributed to it being the day before Thanksgiving Day, when turkey and fixin's was more on their minds than the sweeping allegations of voting system failures made by a feisty group whose theatrical style overshadows its message.

Yet despite the poor turnout of reporters, the call by the Ohio Election Justice Campaign for the "recall, return, and refund of voting systems used in Ohio" may gain more traction with Ohio's mainstream media, especially in light of Arnebeck's encouragement of Dann to look into election irregularities, as he promised to do as a candidate for the office last year.

OEJC, which is not connected to Arnebeck or associated with his lawsuit, expressed its concern over representatives from Ohio Boards of Election, many of whom failed to preserve their 2004 ballots in violation of a federal court order, who have not only been accepted by Brunner to sit on a group she's convened to review the state's electronic voting machinery, but who were chosen with help from the current Statehouse lobbyist for Ohio's election officials who previously worked in 2003 as a lobbyist for Election System & Software, a vendor of electronic voting machines active in Ohio.

Brunner, whose campaign consisted of bashing the partisanship of former Republican Secretary of State Ken Blackwell and mouthing a mantra of making Ohio elections "free, fair, open and honest" again, seems to want no part of lending the authority or resources of her office to digging for the truth of what happened in 2004.

"These folks, I have to say, more power to them. They are pursuing something that they believe strongly in. My biggest concern, however, is preparing the state for a successful presidential election next year, so that maybe I can put these folks out of a job." SOS Brunner, CD

Although the back to back press conferences by Arnebeck and OEJC were separate, distinct and completely uncoordinated, their concerns, to a degree, do overlap. Neither Arnebeck's nor OEJC's operations have big backers associated with them, insiders say, which is why it's all the more important that the power of that state that can only come from statewide office holders like Dann and Brunner, who spoke aggressively about what they would do regarding voting irregularities or fraud once in office, are needed. Brunner is apparently content to let the irregularities of 2004 fade with time and memory. .

Ohio voters probably didn't think that when they elected Brunner last year, they'd end up with someone whose blinders prevent her from looking anywhere but right in front of her. By wrapping herself in sanctimoniously safe statements about only focusing on future elections, Brunner, a former judge who seems to have forgotten the value of evidence to a claim, seems to be running away from what she might find if she did enforce election law, as voters elected her to do.  

John Michael Spinelli is a former Ohio Statehouse government and political reporter and business columnist. He now serves as the OhioNews Bureau Chief for ePluribus Media Journal.

If ePluribus Media readers have a news tip or story idea about Ohio politics or government, contact the OhioNews Bureau at: ohionews@www.epluribusmedia.org