Ohio updates election forms to support transgender candidates

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's (R) office has changed declaration forms to help prevent transgender candidates from being disqualified for not disclosing their "deadname."

The change came after Vanessa Joy, a transgender woman, was disqualified from running as a Democratic candidate for Ohio’s House District 50 after failing to list all legal names used within the prior five years on her signature petition, WEWS-TV reported.

Dead names refer to the former names of transgender people.

Despite legally changing her name and providing her updated birth certificate to the county board, a little-known 1990s law blocked her candidacy when her name was changed.

The law requires candidates to list any name changes from the past five years on their signature petitions. Joy expressed frustration about not being informed of this requirement when submitting her petition. According to WEWS, the instructions weren't on the petition form and the secretary of state’s 2024 candidate guide at the time.

A revised form now includes instructions to list prior names from the last five years, except those from marriage. It’s available on the secretary of state’s website for 2025 candidates, Dan Lusheck — a spokesperson for LaRose — told Cleveland.com.

Republicans sought to pass legislation addressing the issue in December before the holiday recess.

Senate Bill 71 required candidates to list any name changes within the last five years, but mandated that official forms include a designated space for this information, similar to updates already made by LaRose's office.

The bill was amended during the Dec. 18 session to require candidates to list all legal name changes from the past five years on their candidacy petitions. Critics argued these changes disproportionately impacted transgender candidates.

The bill failed to pass in the House before the holiday break.

In May, Democrats introduced HB 467 to exempt candidates from disclosing name changes within the past five years, but the measure failed to gain traction in the Ohio House.