CLEVELAND -- Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner knows her decision to switch voting systems in Cuyahoga County just two months before the primary is controversial.

And she figures that regardless of how the vote and count go in March she will get blame or credit.

"I asked the board if anybody had a jacket that said Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, I said I'd wear it," Brunner joked.

Brunner cast the tie breaking ballot after the Board deadlocked 2-2 on whether to scrap its expensive electronic voting system to switch to paper ballots and new counters.

She said problems in November's vote with Diebold equipment like server crashes and unreadable printouts made change necessary. And she decided sooner was better than later.

"We wanted to get one election under the Board's belt and under the belt of the voters before we proceed to November," she said.

She visited the Board Wednesday for a private meeting with most of its 90 workers. She promised them all the support she could provide and told them they could successfully make the switch.

Cuyahoga County voters will color in their choices on paper ballots. The ballots will be counted by high-speed scanners at Board headquarters downtown.

Brunner's also proposing changes in where Ohioans vote. She wants to switch from neighborhood polling places to large voting centers like shopping malls, libraries and other big buildings.

She's asking the legislature to approve that concept and expects controversy over whether non-driving voters will be able to get to polls.

That proposal would have several changes to make voting more convenient. Absentee voting would be stressed.

And centers would be open up to 15 days before election day for early voting.

Brunner wants to stress fairness, accuracy and the ability to implement in whatever systems counties use.

Voter education will be a big part of the switch.

Letters will be going out Friday to all Cuyahoga County voters urging them to vote absentee.

There's still no word on what will happen to thousands of electronic voting machines that cost the county $21 million dollars.

Brunner claims her system will be less expensive in the long haul because of lower maintenance and operating costs.

Cuyahoga Count Comissioners have pledged to pay the cost for the new system.

Click "Play Video" to watch Secretary Brunner's press conference.

Click "Play Video" to watch Tom Beres' report.