By Cindi Andrews
The Cincinnati Enquirer

VOTING STANDOFF

Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell said he will be sending a team to the Hamilton County Board of Elections to clear up members' questions about electronic voting machines. Earlier this month, the bipartisan board unanimously refused to pick an electronic voting machine to replace punch-card ballots, partly because of security glitches recently detected in all four choices. "We'll give them all the information, and if they still can't decide, we'll decide for them," Blackwell said.

Hamilton County commissioners Wednesday became the first elected body in the state to support a repeal of Ohio's temporary 1-cent sales tax increase.

"I'm really disappointed that it's Republicans who presided over these massive increases in taxes and spending," GOP Commissioner Phil Heimlich said. "

Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, architect of the repeal effort, confirmed Hamilton County as the first elected body to take such a stand. He returned to his hometown Wednesday to highlight commissioners' 3-0 vote.

The sales tax increase took effect last summer and expires in June 2005. Repeal supporters have gotten 158,000 signatures to force the General Assembly to reconsider it, and if no action is taken after 120 days, they must collect another round of signatures to get the repeal issue on the Nov. 2 ballot.

Lawmakers have said if the repeal succeeds, the budget shortfall of $1.3 billion a year could be made up by cutting the state's $1.2 billion annual contribution to local governments and libraries. That threat prompted the County Commissioners Association of Ohio - including board member John Dowlin of Hamilton County - to oppose a repeal earlier this month.

"The easy answer may be to take it out on local governments," Dowlin said Wednesday. "The whole point was to say, 'Mr. Blackwell, please be more specific' " on where cuts could be made.

"(Hamilton County) was the first to hold a news conference to ask us not to cut the local government fund," said state Rep. Patricia Clancy of Colerain Township. "That to me is speaking out of both sides of their mouth."

Rep. Bill Seitz of Green Township said he twice tried to add an amendment that would have ended the tax increase early if voters approved video slots at tracks.

E-mail candrews@enquirer.com