And Another Is Thrown Off The Bus.

They dusted off a 1995 law that no one knew about and used it to kick us off the ballot.

Another trans candidate in Ohio faces disqualification vote for omitting deadname
AP News
By SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON
January 18, 2024

A second transgender candidate running for a seat in the Republican-majority Ohio House is at risk of being disqualified from the ballot after omitting her former name on circulating petitions.

The Mercer County Board of Elections is set to vote Thursday on whether Arienne Childrey, a Democrat from Auglaize County and one of four transgender individuals campaigning for the Legislature, is eligible to run after not disclosing her previous name, also known as her deadname, on her petition paperwork.

A little-used Ohio elections law, unfamiliar even to many state elections officials, mandates that candidates disclose any name changes in the last five years on their petitions paperwork, with exemptions for name changes due to marriage. But the law isn’t listed in the 33-page candidate requirement guide and there is no space on the petition paperwork to list any former names.

The Republicans had to dust off their old law books to find that loophole, they probably had that in their back pocket just waiting to use it.

But Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday that the law should be amended and that the county boards should stop disqualifying transgender candidates on these grounds. DeWine did not say how it might be amended.

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

At least on Republican see how hypocritical the Republican legislature is, their rallying cry after Trump got kicked off the ballot was “Let the voters decide!” but somehow that doesn’t apply to trans candidates.

Ironically the one trans candidate who hasn’t legally changed her name yet is able to be on the ballot.

Ari Faber, a Democratic candidate for the Ohio state Senate from Athens, was cleared to run but must use his deadname since he has not legally changed it.

Bobbie Arnold, a contractor from West Alexandria running as a Democrat for the Ohio House, had her possible disqualification dismissed Tuesday by the Montgomery County Board of Elections and will be on the ballot in the March 19 primary.

When presenting the facts of Arnold’s situation to the county board Tuesday, the board’s director, Jeff Rezabek, recommended the members take no action on the disqualification. He noted that the candidate guide did not list the rule and that there is no evidence Arnold was intentionally deceitful toward voters about her identity. The members went along with Rezabek’s recommendation.

So in other words if they use their deadname and run as a male they could be on the ballot.