Quashing subpoenas seems to be all the rage with Republican politicians these days.

A high-level Republican consultant has been subpoenaed in a case regarding alleged tampering with the 2004 election.

Michael S. Connell was served with a subpoena in Ohio on Sept. 22 in a case alleging that vote-tampering during the 2004 presidential election resulted in civil rights violations. Connell, president of GovTech Solutions and New Media Communications, is a website designer and IT professional who created a website for Ohio’s secretary of state that presented the results of the 2004 election in real time as they were tabulated.

At the time, Ohio’s Secretary of State, Kenneth J. Blackwell, was also chairman of Bush-Cheney 2004 reelection effort in Ohio.

Connell is refusing to testify or to produce documents relating to the system used in the 2004 and 2006 elections, lawyers say. His motion to quash the subpoena asserts that the request for documents is burdensome because the information sought should be “readily ascertainable through public records request” – but also, paradoxically, because “it seeks confidential, trade secrets, and/or proprietary information” that “have independent economic value” and “are not known to the public, or even to non-designated personnel within or working for Mr. Connell’s business.”

This is a very important case to all voters in this country.

The Ohio vote has been under suspicion since the first numbers rolled in on election night. Since the Republicans have controlled the Department of Elections in Ohio it has been very difficult for investigators to get access to the records. But with these subpoenas having been issued it would seem they have no choice but to comply. So of course they attempt to sabotage the investigation by quashing the subpoenas.

Does that sound familiar?

The future of our democracy hangs in the balance. This Ohio investigation must go forward.