By Debra Jasper
Enquirer Columbus Bureau

COLUMBUS - Secretary of State Ken Blackwell blasted state senators Wednesday for passing "in the shadows of the evening" a bill that allows them to stop filing their campaign finance reports electronically.

"This is an open assault on accountability and modern campaign finance reporting. It's a sad, sad day for Ohio's 124th General Assembly," Mr. Blackwell said. "If the House passes this, I only hope and pray the governor will save them from themselves."

Mr. Blackwell, a Republican in his second term, said it is outrageous for fellow Republicans, who rule both the House and the Senate, to make the public wait for days or even weeks to find out who donated to their campaigns.

"Those people who are suspicious of one-party rule are appropriately so," he said. "Voters on Nov. 5 gave Republicans a unique status and with that comes a unique responsibility. We should be doing business in the light of day and using technology that gives people a sense of the data instead of reverting back to the 20th century."

Sen. Jeff Jacobson, a suburban Dayton Republican, backed the proposal to end the electronic-filing requirement for lawmakers and statewide candidates. He said the bill passed - at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and without objection - because campaign treasurers complained that the Secretary of State's computer system was too difficult to use.

The bill allows campaigns to file reports on paper, which are then typed into the Secretary of State's computer system by data processors.

"A lot of people have volunteer campaign treasurers who aren't computer literate, who had such a bad experience with the computers they said it wasn't a workable system," Mr. Jacobson said. "There are database entry companies that can compile the data professionally and extremely fast."

Mr. Blackwell said it will be costly to expand his staff or hire more data processor vendors to type in information. He said it's an unnecessary expense when his office offers training seminars on how to use the computer system.

If the bill passes the House as expected this week, Mr. Blackwell said he hopes Gov. Bob Taft will veto it.

"This is an 11th hour move by a lame-duck assembly in the shadows of the evening without the benefit of debate," Mr. Blackwell said. "Information delayed is information denied."

Mary Ann Sharkey, spokeswoman for Mr. Taft, said he hasn't seen the bill but is aware of Mr. Blackwell's opposition.

E-mail djasper@enquirer.com