Politics

Ohio's elections chief has sided with fellow members of the Republican party in breaking a tie vote over counting ballots in a disputed 2010 juvenile court election.

Secretary of State Jon Husted on Tuesday agreed that the Hamilton County Board of Elections in southwest Ohio should appeal a Feb. 8 court order requiring it to count hundreds of provisional ballots.

The Republican in the race holds a 23-vote lead over the Democrat, and the board's Democrats want the disputed votes tallied. The board's two Republicans say the ballots aren't eligible.

A federal judge ordered the ballots counted. She said poll worker error caused votes to be cast in the wrong precincts even though voters were at the right polling location.

On the heels of the 2011 fight over the limits of public employee unions, Democrats hope to regain seats in the Republican-dominated Legislature that passed the measure.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is backing Rick Santorum's presidential bid.      DeWine's about-face comes just 18 days before Ohio and nine other states host critical Super Tuesday contests.