Reply #: Blackwell's dual roles draw fire [View All]

Blackwell's dual roles draw fire
Candidate is also top elections official

Thursday, June 08, 2006
Ted Wendling
Plain Dealer Bureau

Columbus -- Secretary of State Ken Blackwell's dual roles as Republican nominee for governor and the man responsible for ensuring a fair and impartial election in November have subjected him to an avalanche of criticism this week.

Pilloried by voter-registration groups for drafting new rules that they say are intended to suppress the poor-, black- and Democratic vote, Blackwell also is being threatened with a lawsuit for Ohio's failure to enforce the national "motor voter" law.

Viewing the battle from afar, the New York Times weighed in Wednesday with a lead edit orial titled "Block the Vote, Ohio Remix." The Times labeled Ohio's election system "corrupt" and called for Blackwell to relinquish all duties pertaining to this fall's election.

That's not going to happen, Carlo LoParo, Blackwell's spokesman, angrily replied. He ripped the Times and said Democrats and left-leaning voter-registration groups were hypocrites.

More: http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1149755496195350.xml&coll=2