Ohio Republican Party Chairman Robert T. Bennett issued a statement last week saying Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner "wants to run the elections system in this state like a dictator."

Bennett said he was responding to reports that Brunner, a Democrat, threatened to remove members of county boards of elections if they did not follow her directives as required by law. He also said some board members feel intimidated and that "I think she'll find out pretty quickly that she needs these people a lot more than they need her."

Brunner has denied such intimidation, saying she's working with elections officials but that they have a duty to follow their oath of office. She's seeking election changes in response to a report that found that the voting systems used in Ohio are vulnerable.

The backstory is that the secretary of state is a member of the apportionment board that both state parties want to control after the 2010 elections -- and that Brunner fired Bennett as a member of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections earlier this year.