Ohio board stands by disqualification of transgender candidate, despite others being allowed to run
Vanessa Joy SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON | Associated Press/Report For America COLUMBUS, Ohio — A county board in Ohio has refused to reconsider the disqualification of a transgender state House candidate who omitted her former name from circulating petitions, even as other transgender candidates have been cleared for the ballot.
The Stark County Board of Elections said in a statement on Jan. 19 that it stands by its decision to disqualify Vanessa Joy, a real estate photographer from Massillon, Ohio, because she did not put a name that no longer aligns with her gender identity — also referred to as a deadname — on the petitions used to gather signatures to get on the ballot.
State law mandates that candidates disclose any name changes from the past five years on their petitions, with exemptions for changes resulting from marriage.
The law, meant to weed out bad actors, is unknown even to many elections officials, and it isn’t listed in the 33-page candidate requirement guide.
