COLUMBUS – Republicans don’t want “Joe the Plumber” to be able to vote.

That’s what Ohio Democratic Party chair Chris Redfern said today on the steps of the Statehouse of the national and state Republicans efforts to require all voter registrations to match information on-file with state motor vehicle agencies and the Social Security Administration.

Tuesday the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner (D) must verify eligibility of new voters and make that eligibility information available to all 88 county boards of election. Brunner has appealed the case, saying the ruling will destabilize Ohio’s election system.  

Redfern said simple mismatches like a shortened first name or misspelling on a registration form would cause registrants to be ineligible to vote because the registration would not match information with Ohio’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles or the Social Security Administration.

Joe Wurzelbacher, a Toledo-area plumber who’s gained national recognition recently in the presidential campaign, would be ineligible to vote if Republicans get their way in court, Redfern said. The reason is because even small discrepancies, such as a misspelling or unofficial first name would cause him to be ineligible.

“Joe is registered under the name ‘Wurzelbacher’ with a ‘u,’ I’m sorry, it’s an ‘o.’ Becuase of his poor hand writing when Joe filled out the voter registration card he used an ‘o.’ Or the board of election in Lucas County thought it was an ‘o,’” Redfern said, adding that his full legal name is Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher.

Redfern said Republicans are trying to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of Ohio voters who may not perfectly match information on file at the BMV or SSA because of a misspelling, unused middle inital or maiden name, for instance.

Redfern wasn’t done with Wurzelbacher, calling him “Joe-the-almost-plumber” because he’s not a licensed plumber.

“By the way, in Ohio you have to be licensed to be a plumber.”

John McCain spokesperson Paul Lindsay responded to Redfern's press conference.

“If Barack Obama and Jennifer Brunner’s allies are suddenly concerned with eligibility, they can start by acting on the numerous investigations and accusations of fraud surrounding ACORN," Lindsay said in an e-mail to PolitickerOH.com.  "Voters in Ohio don’t need any more partisan press conferences – they need a Secretary of State who will start obeying the law in order to ensure an open and honest election.  With over 200,000 registrations in question, it’s time for elections officials to determine the difference between eligible voters like Joe the Plumber and fraudulent voters like Mickey Mouse.”