Ohio's absentee ballot program decried

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Only a fraction of Ohio voters received an application for an absentee ballot last fall despite a law calling for every voter to get one, an official said.

The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported Thursday that voters in only 19 of the state's 88 counties received absentee ballot applications.

The newspaper reported that the state Legislature approved $3 million, and about $1.9 million of the funds were used, said Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

Critics say because all voters did not receive an application -- especially those in some smaller and financially struggling counties -- that means all voters in the state were not treated the same way.

"You should either do it for all of them or none of them," said state Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, a possible Brunner opponent in 2010. "Elections have to be administered consistently."

Brunner's spokesman said lawmakers failed to provide enough money to ensure all county costs could be reimbursed.

"This office will continue to work with lawmakers on these and other issues hopefully earlier in the process so that these sorts of problems do not arise," spokesman Jeff Ortega said.