Ohio revises Statehouse candidate forms after several nearly disqualified

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio's Secretary of State has updated paperwork that nearly disqualified several Statehouse candidates last year.

Forms and petitions that must be completed by those running for Ohio public office, like a "Declaration of Candidacy" form and a "Nominating Petition," were altered in December to include a larger space for the candidate's name. The paperwork also now instructs candidates to "include all prior names used in the past 5 years, excluding marriage name changes."

"Our office said we would update the forms for the next election cycle to more clearly state the name disclosure requirement that candidates must follow under state law," said Dan Lusheck, spokesperson for Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. "The new form does that, and it's now available on our website for potential candidates to use if they decide to file a candidacy in 2025."

LaRose's office amended the paperwork after Vanessa Joy, a transgender Stark County Democrat, was disqualified from running last year for not including her deadname -- the name a trans person was assigned at birth but does not align with their gender identity -- on her nomination petition. While Joy appealed her disqualification, the board of elections voted to keep her off the ballot. Watch a previous NBC4 report on Joy's disqualification in the video player above.

Several other trans Statehouse candidates nearly faced the same fate in 2024, like Democrat Arienne Childrey whose certification was questioned due to the name disclosure requirement. Childrey argued that the forms' previous versions "were designed in a way that effectively excluded many trans individuals from complying with their provisions."

"While I firmly believe that no trans person should ever be forced to deadname themselves, I am relieved that the forms have been updated to remove this unnecessary barrier," she said. "This change gives trans individuals the ability to weigh the personal cost of disclosing their deadnames against the opportunity to pursue public service. For me, the decision is clear: It is always worth fighting for a seat at the table, especially when so many in our state government continue to target and marginalize our community."

Bobbie Arnold, a West Alexandria trans candidate, had her possible disqualification dismissed by the Montgomery County Board of Elections. Ari Faber, an Athens County trans candidate, was cleared to run for an Ohio Senate seat but had to use his deadname since he has not legally changed it.

Rep. Tex Fischer (R-Boardman) was also questioned after the Mahoning County Democratic Party argued he should be removed for failing to include his former name, Austin James Fischer, on filing paperwork. The representative changed his legal name in 2020 to Austin James Texford Fischer when he began going by "Tex." LaRose ruled in September that Fischer could appear on the ballot.

As Ohio's name-change rule came under the spotlight, dueling bills were introduced to deal with the matter. A bill introduced by Democrats would've amended the former name requirement, adding an exemption from disclosure if the change of name was granted by any court in the state of Ohio. Like LaRose's December update to the forms, the bill would have added space to the "Declaration of Candidacy" form so that candidates who are required to provide previous names used in the last five years would have space to do so.

Republican lawmakers who ran and won against Childrey and Arnold introduced legislation that doubled down on the rule and would've required candidates who changed their name within five years to circulate petitions with their current and former names. The bill would've also allowed any eligible voter, regardless of party affiliation, to formally protest a political party's candidate, while current law only allows an individual to challenge a candidate who is part of their same party.