More transgender candidates face challenges running for office in Ohio...

Jessica_Rose · January 17, 2024, 08:01:30 AM

More transgender candidates face challenges running for office in Ohio for omitting their deadname

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/more-transgender-candidates-face-challenges-running-for-office-in-ohio-for-omitting-their-deadname/ar-AA1n4MAm?cvid=7734591eb2364da5b4b08f1d62b22f7f&ei=9

Story by By SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON (16 Jan 2024)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Several transgender candidates for state office in Ohio are facing challenges and even outright disqualification for omitting their former names from petition paperwork under a little-known state elections law, confronting a unique dilemma as they vie for office in the face of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

Three of the four candidates for Democratic seats in the Republican-dominated Ohio House and Senate have either been challenged or disqualified for not putting their former name — also called a deadname — on circulating petitions to get on the ballot. State law mandates that candidates list any name changes in the last five years, though it isn't in the Secretary of State's 33-page candidate requirement guide.

Additionally, the petition paperwork does not have a place to list any former names and exempts name changes due to marriage.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine told Cleveland.com's editorial board Tuesday that the boards of elections should stop disqualifying transgender candidates for omitting their deadnames and that some sort of change is in order to ensure their ballot access.

But to the transgender community, revealing a deadname — or the name assigned to them at birth that doesn't align with their gender identity — could lead to personal safety issues.

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More transgender candidates face challenges running for office in Ohio...

Jessica_Rose