'Challengers' - Blackwell IV.C

To sum up what has happened, one can say that Ohio SoS Blackwell had spent the better part of two years and two months talking about elections improvements and got nothing for all that effort. Wait a second: Blackwell had used $108,000 to design a series of 2002 election ads informing the citizenry about how to vote: (in a sing-gong voice increase from tenor to alto to suprano) the shin bone is connected to the knee-bone; the knee-bone is connected to the thigh-bone; the thigh-bone is connected to the pelvis; the pelvis is connected to the spine-bone; (end singing abruptly and talk in low voice) and bearacracy has no spine. In short nothing substanital had been accomplished, except to re-word a few laws.

Yet Blackwell surged ever forward.

He established a 28-day, public comment period from March 18 - April 15 to allow for the any Ohio citizen to comment publicly on the matter. He further scheduled two public meetings on Thursday, April 3 and Friday, April 4. Both meetings would begin at 9:30 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. with a 1.5 hour lunch break, at

The Vern Riffe State Office Tower;
31st floor, South Hearing Rooms B and C;
77 South High St., Columbus, Ohio.

Should a citizen be unable to attend and thusly utter comments at the meetings, Blackwell provided destinations for them to send snail-mail, write e-mail, visit a website, or make a phone-call.

At Blackwell's designation the committee had a thre-fold purpose: hear expert testimony; review written public statements; and assist the SoS with developing Ohio’s election reform, HAVA-approved, plan.

Blackwell outlined the schedule as follows:

April 3, 2003
9:30 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Introduction, Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell
10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Chet Kalis, Committee on House Administration, United States House of Representatives
11 a.m. - Noon
Doug Lewis, The Election Center, Houston, Texas
Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch
1:30 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Dr. Herb Asher, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, The Ohio State University
2 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Delores Blankenship & Luke Russell, AARP
2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Disability Policy Coalition
3:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Other Testimony

April 4, 2003
9:30 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Peg Rosenfield, Ohio League of Women Voters
10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Ernest Perry, Columbus Urban League
10:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Rita Yarman, Knox County Board of Elections
11 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Jan Clair, Lake County Board of Elections
11:30 a.m. - Noon
Terry Burton, Wood County Board of Elections
Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Eric Seabrook, Office of the Secretary of State
2:30 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Other Testimony
3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Committee Discussion

Every political constitency had representatives present: AARP, ADA, Urban League, League of Women Voters, Elections Officials, Academics, politicians, election board officials, and elections council for the SoS.

The third and final scheduled meeting would take place two weeks after the 3rd on April 17 in the Statehouse, Hearing Room 121 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

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