A deal is in the works to change leaders at the Franklin County Board of Elections, just days before the presidential primary draws scrutiny to Ohio.

The board will meet at 1 p.m. Sunday to swap its director and deputy director and name a new chairman.

The move follows rumors that Director Matthew Damschroder would be booted, both because he is bloodied by battles with Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and because he is a Republican and political control has shifted to Democrats.

The changes are intended to allay Brunner's concerns. She is responsible for Ohio's elections and has a laundry list of grievances against Damschroder, including what she sees as sloppy voting safeguards and his efforts to torpedo her reforms.

"I want qualified people to run the board of election," Brunner said. "I can work with just about anybody. … What I can't abide is someone not following the law, cutting corners and essentially creating problems for voters."

A swap also will calm the nerves of longtime board employees who hinted that they, too, might bolt if left to run a complicated, high-profile election with a freshman team.

William A. Anthony Jr. confirmed Friday that he will step down as chairman of the board, clearing the way for fellow Democrat Dennis L. White to be voted in as director at the board's organizational meeting.

Damschroder, a Republican, will move to deputy director. Doug Preisse, chairman of the Franklin County Republican Party, is expected to be voted in as chairman of the elections board, which he joined just last week.

Ohio law requires bipartisan oversight of elections boards; a single party may not control both the chairman and director.

Anthony and Preisse and fellow board member Kim Marinello each said they'd vote for Damschroder as deputy director. Former Chairman Michael F. Colley could not be reached for comment. But Preisse said they'd spoken recently and "he seemed satisfied with the way things are coming together."

Anthony said he'd counseled Damschroder to lie low after e-mails became public showing he was working against Brunner's decision to return to paper ballots because of concerns over the electronic machines' security and accuracy.

"I told him, 'That wasn't politically smart, man,' " he said.

Brunner, who would break any board deadlock, said she isn't sure if she'd vote to keep Damschroder.

The Democrat has removed three Republican electionsboard members statewide in recent weeks for various reasons. She also fired Republican Allen County Director Keith Cunningham from the state Board of Voting Machine Examiners, which certifies new voting equipment, because he said he would refuse to decertify touch screens if necessary.

That has prompted Ohio Republicans to criticize Brunner for an "undemocratic rampage" against those who publicly criticize her.

Brunner declined to reappoint Alex Arshinkoff in Summit County, who also is chairman of the county GOP, as well as James L. Crates in Hardin County and Mary M. Wipert in Lawrence County.

"I've got to ensure that our elections are operated with professionalism and integrity," Brunner said. "If it means I have to not reappoint someone who's causing a lot of strife and difficulty in the operation of the board, then so be it."

In Franklin County, Brunner said, Damschroder "put himself in an untenable position" by helping the American Civil Liberties Union sue the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections to stop the use of paper ballots. Damschroder was acting in his just-ended role as president of the Ohio Association of Election Officials. But Brunner called it unseemly for one county director to sue another, and it further burdened a board struggling to prepare for an election.

She also questions whether the board removed the name of Democrat Jay Perez, who withdrew his candidacy for Franklin County municipal judge, from some ballots but not others in November. All ballots should have the same candidates, Brunner said.

All the ballots included Perez's name, White said, because the candidate withdrew too late to be removed.

Damschroder didn't want to comment on Brunner's complaints against him, saying "any public official is in the line of fire."

Damschroder, 32, joined the board of elections in 2003. He said he is now "actively seeking other employment'' and is considering law school.

White, 54, who qualified for his pension on Saturday, said he's happy to stay on as director because he likes working with the people at the board. Besides, White joked, "I'll get 2 cents more an hour."