State lawyers head to federal court today in Akron to defend Ohio's punch-card voting system against a challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union.

The ACLU wants all Ohio punch-card ballots removed before the presidential election in November. The ballots are used in 69 of 88 counties, representing nearly 73 percent of registered voters.

Ohio is one of only a handful of states that still use mostly punch-cards.
The ACLU says the system is antiquated and causes errors that lead to undercounting of minority votes. The group says black voters live mostly in punch-card counties.

Experts say that even if the ACLU wins its case, it's unlikely that Ohio's voting system could be changed in time for the presidential election.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)