A transgender candidate in Ohio was disqualified from the state ballot for omitting her former name

By SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON and GEOFF MULVIHILL
Associated Press/Report for America

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A transgender woman has been disqualified from running for the Ohio House after omitting her former name from circulating petitions to get on the ballot. Vanessa Joy’s disqualification raises concern that other transgender candidates in the state and nationwide may face similar barriers. She was running as a Democrat in a heavily Republican district and had legally changed her name and her birth certificate prior to the campaign, but a 1990s state law says that a candidate must provide any name changes within the last five years to qualify for the ballot. The Ohio Secretary of State’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.