League of Women Voters of Ohio Education Fund
State of Ohio November 2, 2010 Election
	Maryellen O'Shaughnessy Answers Questions Candidate for Secretary of State; State of Ohio

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Ohio and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What election reforms do you support?

I support the elections reform package presented in H. B. 260. Legislators are continuing to work out a compromise measure, I and hope that a bill will move forward in order to continue to improve elections processes in Ohio. As Secretary of State, I look forward to working to: continue support of early in-person and by-mail voting; review and simplify vote-by-mail processes, to reduce error; explore and employ cost savings measures, in partnership with boards of elections, like voting centers and purchasing pools; continue to work toward more consistent application of poll worker training; continue to improve processes for poll worker recruitment; explore feasibility of online voter registration; continue to look for ways to securely employ new technologies; work toward better education on voting rights, followed by assured voter registration for high school seniors; simplify confusing voter ID laws; clarify use of and reduce reasons for provisional balloting.

2. Do you believe the Secretary of State should avoid involvement in partisan politics and, if so, what steps would you take to accomplish this?

Yes, I do. There has been overtly partisan activity in the administrations of former Secretaries of State. I believe that such activities tend to undermine citizens` trust in elections. I am a Democrat, and bring those values with me to the office. But upon election, the Secretary of State must work for all Ohioans to assure fair and trustworthy elections. As Chief Elections Officer, I will not endorse candidates or ballot issues, and will rely on the partnership, advice and guidance of bipartisan and nonpartisan elections specialists as I ensure that all qualified Ohio electors have access to a fair and trustworthy elections process. There are two important resources: the 88 county bipartisan boards of elections, and the current bipartisan Voting Rights Institute, both of which will bring a balanced point of view to the office. I will employ Republicans and Democrats in the office, to assure a balanced viewpoint.

3. How will you ensure fair, honest, and impartial election administration in Ohio?

I will continue to build on the reforms put in place in recent years by our current Secretary of State. I will continue to work to enfranchise all qualified Ohio citizens, while taking a strong stand against any instance of voter fraud or suppression. I support doing a comprehensive review of the environment and related facts 17 regarding allegations of voter fraud in Ohio, in order to create strong and effective policies that will address these issues. I support the use of post election audits to increase voter confidence in election outcomes and processes, and will look for ways to do this cost effectively.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Word limits apply for each question. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 24, 2010 18:09
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