An Associated Press report on Dec. 20 in the Cincinnati Post http://news.kypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071220/NEWS01/712200371  said that, "the findings of an in-depth security review of the equipment present a serious set back to Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, who made a campaign promise to restore voter confidence in a system marred by allegations of partisan manipulation and inequity."

On the contrary, what the AP perceives as a set back should be thought of as an opportunity for real reform.  Past evidence of what went wrong in Ohio in 2004 has been labeled as antidotal and untrustworthy.  Now we have evidence that the machines can and do have serious security problems that can allow for election malfeasance, which is exactly what was experienced in Ohio in 2004.

Brunner's recommendations are not perfect, but she should be applauded for taking on this difficult task, and especially for confronting head on the insecurity of the DRE technology. She has begun the process of fixing a badly broken system, and she continues to invite input from others.  With her leadership there is an open process to restore fairness and honesty to Ohio's elections and regain the trust of the voters.