Stay updated with breaking news from Matthew Kishman. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
Watch a previous NBC4 report on former Ohio candidate Vanessa Joy in the video player above. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A transgender candidate running for a seat in Ohio’s House of Representatives has been cleared to campaign after her certification was called into question for omitting her former legal name. The Mercer County Board of […]
Vanessa Joy, a transgender candidate, remains disqualified from the ballot in Stark as candidates in other counties were cleared to run.
Vanessa Joy, who is transgender, was disqualified by the Stark County Board of Elections for not including a former name on candidacy petition.
The law, enacted in 1995, effectively requires all transgender candidates to list their deadname in their petitions.
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 of...