ACLU sues to block paper ballots in Ohio

CLEVELAND, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Thursday to block Cuyahoga County from switching to a paper ballot voting system before Ohio's March primary.

If the ACLU of Ohio prevails, Cuyahoga County might not be able to hold a primary as scheduled March 4, Board of Elections Chairman Jeff Hastings told The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

With the county already transitioning to a new voting system, he said, returning to the touch-screen system before the primary would be nearly impossible, the newspaper reported.

The federal lawsuit claims that Cuyahoga County's new voting system is illegal because it doesn't allow voters an opportunity to fix mistakes on their ballots.

"A system that protects every vote equally is not a luxury, it's a constitutional right," ACLU staff attorney Carrie Davis said in statement.