Disqualified trans candidate prompts call for change to little-known Ohio law

David Rees
·3 min read

Watch a previous NBC4 report on former Ohio candidate Vanessa Joy in the video player above.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Legislators are advancing a bill to change a little-known Ohio law that questioned the certification of transgender candidates who omitted their former legal names while running for seats in the state’s House of Representatives.

House Bill 467 would amend Ohio’s revised code requiring Statehouse candidates who change their name within five years to circulate petitions with their current and former names. Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio (D-Gahanna), the legislation’s primary sponsor, said the bill proposes “a modest change” that would add an exemption from disclosure if the change of name was granted by any court in the state of Ohio.

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“H.B. 467 will remedy an issue recently brought to light by a few candidates who followed all of the guidelines as written, but still were disqualified by a little-known and unpublicized state law,” Piccolantonio said. “This bill will bring uniformity, certainty, and address safety concerns for potential candidates and provide clarity for voters and election workers.”

Piccolantonio’s proposal comes after Vanessa Joy, a Stark County Democrat, was disqualified from running in House District 50 for not including her deadname — the name a trans person was assigned at birth but does not align with their gender identity — on petition paperwork. While Joy appealed her disqualification, the board of elections voted to keep her off the ballot.

The bill would also add space to Ohio’s “Declaration of Candidacy” form so that candidates who are required to provide previous names used in the last five years will have space to do so. In addition, the secretary of state would be instructed to begin including this provision in the “Ohio Requirement Candidate Guide” so candidates are aware.

“Allowing people to run for office under their chosen, legal names acknowledges the basic human right to self-identification and personal autonomy,” said Rep. Michele Grim (D-Toledo), the bill’s other sponsor. “It’s a step towards more inclusive and representative governance.”

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Arienne Childrey, another trans candidate, was nearly disqualified from running as a Democrat in House District 84 due to the name-change law. While the Mercer County Board of Elections had received a protest to Childrey’s certification from the county’s Republican Party Chairman Robert Hibner, the board said Hibner’s protest was invalid because he is from the opposing political party.

In response, Rep. Angie King (R-Celina), Childrey’s opponent in November’s election, has announced she is introducing a bill that would allow any voter regardless of party to protest an individual’s candidacy for a political party nomination. King’s legislation doubles down on the current name-change law and recodifies the following reasons under which any eligible voter may protest a candidacy:

  • The individual is not a U.S. citizen;

  • The individual does not meet the minimum age requirements to hold office;

  • The individual would exceed an applicable term or age limit;

  • The individual has a criminal conviction; or

  • The individual does not include their former name on required documentation to run for office.

“Our bill … clarifies a requirement that has been a part of Ohio law for more than 50 years,” said Rep. Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria), the bill’s other sponsor. “I am committed to ensuring Ohio elections are the most secure, fair, transparent and accurate in the nation.”

While Gov. Mike DeWine previously said that the name-change law should be amended and county boards should stop disqualifying trans candidates on these grounds, he did not say how it might be amended.

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“We shouldn’t be denying ballot access for that reason,” the governor told Cleveland.com’s editorial board. “It certainly should be fixed.”

Like Childrey, Bobbie Arnold, a West Alexandria trans candidate, also had her possible disqualification dismissed by the Montgomery County Board of Elections. Ari Faber, an Athens County trans candidate, is cleared to run for an Ohio Senate seat but must use his deadname since he has not legally changed it.

H.B. 467 is receiving its first hearing in the House Government Oversight Committee on Tuesday.

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