A dispute over whether the state should force counties to abandon punch-card voting has again delayed a panel's recommendations on election reforms.

The Election Systems Study Committee adjourned yesterday after three hours of haggling over the terms of a final report to the legislature on how Ohio's system of voting and counting votes can be improved.

Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, chairman of the 11-member panel, wants all 88 counties to have voting devices that give voters a chance to correct mistakes, tabulate results at the precincts and provide an audit trail for an accurate vote count.

The committee became deadlocked after members could not agree on an amendment introduced by Sen. Jeff Jacobson. The Montgomery County Republican sought to eliminate from the report deadlines for counties to purchase equipment that conforms to Blackwell's guidelines.

While the delay is indefinite, Blackwell expects it to last a couple of weeks. A majority vote is required before the report can be released.

He has said that regardless of what the committee recommends, he will propose to the legislature that all new purchases of voting equipment fit the three characteristics. The state will help counties pay for the equipment, he said.

Blackwell also will recommend that counties have the equipment in place by Jan. 1, 2006. The federal government will provide matching funds for the equipment, he said.

The committee was assigned by the legislature to make recommendations by Oct. 1, but missed that deadline because of the punch-card dispute. It has been bogged down in parliamentary maneuvering and the battle between Blackwell and Jacobson.

Blackwell said that although Ohio's election system is good, county boards of election need to be encouraged to use machines that allow individuals to vote with certainty for their choices and to have their votes counted fairly and accurately.

The legislature created the committee in response to irregularities in Florida that held up the results of the 2000 presidential election.

Jacobson said Florida's election snafu had no bearing on Ohio's system and that counties should be permitted to choose their own systems as long as they are accurate.

The senator said he views Blackwell's recommendation as a move to eliminate the punch-card system, used by 70 counties in Ohio, including Montgomery.

Blackwell denied that allegation and said any style of voting machine can have the three capabilities he favors.

Several of the eight committee members present asked for more time to sort out the dispute.

Keith Cunningham, a member of the Allen County Board of Elections, is opposed to watering down the recommendations proposed by Blackwell. He warned that if counties aren't given specific directions and a failure occurs, "It's not going to be a legislator or the secretary of state who loses his job, it's going to be an election official.''

Allen County uses an optical- scanner system, the kind recommended by Blackwell.

The panel agreed on the bulk of the rest of the report, dealing with voter registration, voter education and election standards. It included recommendations on educating citizens about their rights and responsibilities as voters, upgrading voter education in schools and improving accessibility to voting machines.