Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner
As Ohio’s first woman to serve as Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner brings a unique perspective and exceptional credentials to be Ohio’s top election official.
Her prior service as Legislative Counsel for the Secretary of State’s Office, 13 years of election law private practice experience, her years of service as a Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge, a past experience as a member of the Franklin County Board of Elections and work as a special prosecutor for election fraud clearly demonstrate her ability to be an effective and fair Secretary of State.
Jennifer Brunner has pledged elections for Ohio that are free, fair, open and honest. She has made it a top goal to ensure confidence in Ohio’s elections. Among her stated four goals for office are to ensure business filings that are quick, efficient and easy to retrieve, to protect social security numbers from disclosure and create and maintain a life quality index to better the lives of all Ohioans.
One of Jennifer's most significant accomplishments as Secretary of State was to overhaul the operations of the troubled Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in Cleveland, ensuring a smooth 2008 presidential election. A commitment to improving communications and direction for all 88 county boards of elections was the action that led to a complete turnaround for Ohio when it came to election administration in 2008.
During the contentious 2008 presidential election, in which Ohio was a key battleground state, Jennifer defended Ohioans' voting rights in numerous cases in both state and federal court, eventually winning in the United States Supreme Court to protect voters and their ballots from being targeted for election challenges by partisan operatives.
Her achievement in reforming Ohio's election system in a quick two years resulted in a markedly improved process, with a record number of Ohioans voting in 2008. Her efforts earned her a Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
Brunner received a B.A. in sociology-gerontology, cum laude, from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio and later a J.D. from Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio with honors. She and her husband, Rick, also an attorney, have three adult children and live in Columbus.
Secretary Brunner's term ends in January 2011.
