Gender-bending buckeyes are going to court to dispute ballot access after leaving out one critical detail for their candidacy.
When Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence and called out Great Britain’s “History of repeated Injuries and Usurpations,” little was it known that “tyranny” would rear its ugly head nearly two and a half centuries later in the state of Ohio. At least that’s what a fringe group of alphabet activist Democrats would have the public believe after their attempt to get on the ballot was challenged for failure to use their legal name.
“Several transgender candidates for state office in Ohio are facing challenges and even outright disqualification for omitting their former names from petition paperwork under a little-known state elections law, confronting a unique dilemma as they vie for office in increasing numbers in the face of anti-LBGTQ+ legislation,” the Associated Press reported.
Continuing to frame the matter as a partisan attack on civil rights, the story detailed, “Three of the four transgender candidates hoping to win Democratic seats in the Republican-dominated Ohio House and Senate have either been challenged or disqualified for not putting their former name — also called a deadname — on circulating petitions to get on the ballot.”
Only then did the AP emphasize a law dating back at least a century, “But state law mandates that candidates list any name changes in the last five years, though it isn’t in the Secretary of State’s 33-page candidate requirement guide.”
Going by Vanessa Joy, one candidate who had been outright disqualified was denied after appeal. Meanwhile, candidates going by Bobbie Arnold and Arienne Childrey each have upcoming hearings in their respective counties over failing to follow the law on reporting name changes.
Only the state Senate candidate going by Ari Faber was not impacted by the law as a result of not legally filing a name change. So, as the AP stated, “his paperwork contains his deadname.”
“You mean their ACTUAL names?” came a cavalcade of comments on social media, incredulous at the notion that radicals were lamenting having to follow the law to get elected.
You mean their ACTUAL names?
— Ultra Grateful Calvin (@shoveitjack) January 16, 2024
you mean their LEGAL names
— Rani, Last of The Red Hot Boomers (@ShadesOfRani) January 16, 2024
Unless you legally changed your name, you shouldn’t be allowed to use your new name. You should be forced to use your “deadname”.
— Vis (@NamelessVisage) January 16, 2024
In other words their real names, not their made up fantasy names.
— Jack Fleming Jr (@JackFlemingJr) January 17, 2024
Unmoved by the self-fomented victimhood of the wannabe politicians, others sounded off about the candidates’ efforts to keep their “true identities” secret from the electorate as well as the fact that “If you can’t follow the simple instructions on the form, you have no business on the ballot…”
Good. If you can’t follow the simple instructions on the form, you have no business on the ballot…
— Mark Thompson (@marktmt) January 16, 2024
Election law is very clear on this.
Name changes must be listed for several very good reasons.
It isn’t hard and it wasn’t targeted.
— Hannibal Lecture (@AltKurtis) January 16, 2024
So their challenge is telling the truth in paperwork?
Sounds like a perfect candidate for politics.
— BloodofHeroes (@BillyHoWCR) January 17, 2024
While it was made clear that law was not specified in the candidate guide provided by the state, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) indicated that there is a disclaimer in the guide that explained how every rule is not listed. Therefore, candidates were advised to seek counsel as to whether or not there are rules that could apply to their attempt to run for office.
More pointedly, the secretary said in a comment readily seconded, “Candidates for public office don’t get anonymity.”
Good. They can’t pretend to be someone or something they are not
— copper (@traceyw85679426) January 16, 2024
You mean they lied about their true identities to hide their past and to keep secrets from voters.
— Savannah (@BasedSavannah) January 16, 2024
Well, the people have a right to know who they’re voting for, past and present.
— Liquid Sunshine (@buckner_eric) January 17, 2024
They’re lying about who they are, by not including their real name it prevents people from fully researching their candidate
— Jason Freedom (@JasonFreed91757) January 17, 2024
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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