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CLEVELAND -- The political battle over a weeklong period that allows Ohioans to register to vote and immediately cast a ballot heated up Friday with Democrats in the state's most populous county accusing Republicans of attempting to suppress votes.

Democrats say an Ohio GOP-backed legal challenge filed by two voters and asking the state Supreme Court to block what amounts to same-day voting is right out of the playbook of former Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, Ohio's sometimes divisive Republican elections chief during the 2004 presidential election.

"Ken Blackwell is not in office right now, but his tactics remain alive and well in the Republican party," state Rep. Sandra Williams said at a small news conference outside the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has instructed local elections boards to have policies in place to allow first-time voters to both register and vote on the same day from the start of absentee voting Sept. 30 to the voter registration deadline on Oct. 6.

The calendar glitch -- approved by a Republican Legislature, signed into law by former GOP Gov. Bob Taft and used since the midterm elections in 2006 -- will allow tens of thousands of unregistered voters a chance to register and cast a ballot on the same day.

Overlaps have been around for more than 20 years, and some absentee voters have cast ballots during such windows in previous elections. But this is the first presidential general election in which Ohioans can vote absentee without having to provide a reason, such as living out-of-state.

Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett has said that Brunner improperly interpreted state law and accused Democrats of trying to hijack the election.

Republicans say Ohio law requires voters to be registered for 30 days before they can be given a ballot, and that allowing same-day registration and voting is illegal. They say same-day voting creates an opportunity for voting fraud.

John McClelland, a GOP spokesman, said 2005 legislation simply allowed people to vote early without specifying a reason, such as out-of-town travel plans or those serving in the military.

Ohio Republican Party Deputy Chairman Kevin DeWine said Friday that all the GOP wants is for Brunner to follow the law.

The lawsuit against Brunner is on the Ohio Supreme Court's expedited schedule with a decision expected before Sept. 30.

Jeremy Bird, the head of the Ohio campaign for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, sent an e-mail to supporters Thursday comparing the lawsuit to Blackwell's tactics.

"Once again, Republican political operatives are attempting to disenfranchise Ohio voters," Bird wrote.

Blackwell was accused of partisanship for presiding over Ohio's elections while serving as honorary co-chairman of President Bush's re-election campaign in Ohio. A phone message left for Blackwell was not immediately returned.

Cleveland City Councilwoman Stephanie Howse called for backers to drop the lawsuit, saying it will only cause voter confusion.

Activists are working in her east-side ward, which includes the historic Hough neighborhood, to get voters to the board of elections during the weeklong window, Howse said.

Democratic state Rep. Mike Foley believes his party is better poised than Republicans to get voters out that week.

"We've got a good ground campaign," Foley said. "We think we'll be able to take advantage of the laws that Republicans wrote."

The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is planning to have nearly 50 workers available to register voters along with 200 voting stations at its headquarters that week, board director Jane Platten said.