A transgender woman running for an Ohio House seat has been disqualified for failing to disclose her former name on petitions circulated to voters, in violation of a seldom-enforced state law.

Local election officials informed Vanessa Joy, who hoped to run as a Democrat for Ohio House District 50, that she was not eligible to do so, despite having collected the signatures necessary to run.

Joy sought to run in a firmly Republican district covering Stark County, just south of Akron.

  • QuadratureSurfer@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    That’s pretty messed up if there isn’t a valid way to disclose it on the official paperwork.

    One of the legitimate reasons I can see for this law would be cases where someone changed their name to be similar, or the same, as someone else who is much more likely to win.

    So if someone changed their name to Joe Biden recently, I would absolutely want it disclosed that they had done so.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      One of the legitimate reasons I can see for this law would be cases where someone changed their name to be similar, or the same, as someone else who is much more likely to win.

      Like the sherriffs Roy Tillman from Fargo?