Ohio debates scrapping voting machines

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Four years after Ohio decided the presidential election, a partisan debate has erupted over whether the must-win state should scrap its touch-screen voting machines.

Lawmakers have received letters from voters who like the touch-screen machines and from people who agree with Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner that they should be replaced.

The accusations between Brunner and Republican officials are similar to sniping during the era of Kenneth Blackwell, who was criticized for presiding over Ohio's elections while serving as honorary co-chairman of President Bush's re-election campaign in Ohio.

University of Dayton law professor Charlie Hallinan says Brunner has the authority to chart the state's course on voting equipment.