The Most Unwanted Voter
15 August 2012
By Brynn Tannehill
http://outservemag.com/2012/08/the-most-unwanted-voter/Last week was my first opportunity to vote with my new name and new identity. The ballot issue was an emergency levy for the schools to raise the city income tax from 2.25 percent to 3.25 percent. Predictably, it failed. The more memorable part was showing up and discovering that I was still listed under my old name in the voter rolls. My new first name is only one letter different from my old first name. My last name and address are the same. I played off on the discrepancy as a typographical error. After a brief huddle the election officials told me, "It's your lucky day. You don't have to fill out a provisional ballot, and we'll make a note on the sheet to fix the name."
I am not certain if I was outed as a result of this encounter, but at least I was allowed to vote with a regular ballot. This ensured it was at least counted. My Ohio driver's license gave my correct name, address, and gender. My government issued CAC card was the cherry on top. Many trans people aren't in nearly as good a position to establish their identity, though.
