But House Speaker Jon Husted threw the issue back in Brunner's lap yesterday, saying he sees no reason for the GOP-controlled legislature to approve funding unless Brunner first decertifies the touch-screens for use in the state.

Husted told The Dispatch that Brunner's failure to decertify the machines would be a tacit acknowledgment that they are suitable to use in the Nov. 4 election, and thus the legislature would have no reason to act.

"We'll see what she does and act accordingly," the Kettering Republican said. "If she doesn't decertify them, then why should we spend $64 million to replace machines that she believes work?"

Brunner said she was disappointed by Husted's comments because she has made it clear that decertifying machines without having funding in place to switch to a new voting system would be "irresponsible."

"That's a totally political response on the speaker's part," Brunner said. "I had been very hopeful that I could continue to work with the legislature on a bipartisan solution and, even if we couldn't fund the entire process this year, that we could begin it in phases and work in an orderly fashion in the best interest of the voters."

Brunner, a Democrat, plans to continue talking with legislative leaders, saying "more dialogue may help the situation."

Husted said it would be difficult to find $64 million in a state operating budget that Gov. Ted Strickland's administration has estimated could be more than $700 million in the red in the coming fiscal year.

Senate President Bill M. Harris, R-Ashland, has made similar comments, although Husted also has said the state's $1 billion rainy-day fund could be an option.

After a study last fall concluded that the touch-screens are substandard and susceptible to fraud or error, Brunner asked the legislature to provide the funding by June so that optically scanned paper ballots can be used statewide on Nov. 4.

Voters in Madison and 34 other Ohio counties already use a paper-ballot system, but touch-screens are used in 53 counties, including Franklin and the rest of the central Ohio counties.

Brunner required that touch-screen counties make paper ballots available in the March 4 primary. She has suggested that if funding for the change is unavailable for the fall election, one option would be to require a larger number of backup paper ballots in case machines fail.

mniquette@dispatch.com

jhallett@dispatch.com