A second transgender candidate running for a seat in the Republican-majority Ohio House is at risk of being disqualified from the ballot after omitting her former name on circulating petitions.
The Mercer County Board of Elections is set to vote Thursday on whether Arienne Childrey, a Democrat from Auglaize County and one of four transgender individuals campaigning for the Legislature, is eligible to run after not disclosing her previous name, also known as her deadname, on her petition paperwork.
A little-used Ohio elections law, unfamiliar even to many state elections officials, mandates that candidates disclose any name changes in the last five years on their petitions paperwork, with exemptions for name changes due to marriage. But the law isn’t listed in the 33-page candidate requirement guide and there is no space on the petition paperwork to list any former names.
It’s nearly impossible to follow the rules when they are specifically being hidden. No one can keep track of every single rule off the top of their head. That’s why we have things like speed limit signs or no parking signs. Hours of operation for a business clearly posted. Etc.
This law is the equivalent of a road going from 55mph to 35mph, but never telling you with a speed limit sign. Then you get pulled over for speeding because the cop knows it’s 35, but fuck you, go to jail, because you expected there to be a speed limit sign when the speed changed, you know. Like on every other road ever.
The fact that there are 33 pages of outlined rules for this when applying says they intentionally put those rules together so people would follow them. It’s not fair for me to know some obscure rule is missing from the 33 pages of rules specifically supplied for me to follow. That is called deception.
They set an expectation by supplying 33 pages of rules. “Here are all the rules” by leaving one out, you’re intentionally trying to fuck people up with it.
Then there being no place to even put a previous name on the form is just fuckery on top.
“Sorry you wrote you previous name on a part of the paper that wasn’t designated for that, so now we have to disqualify you for following the law. Sorry, it’s just the law /shrug”
Again. I’ve said it numerous times. It doesn’t matter. I’m not defending it or even saying it’s “right”. It’s the way it is and if you want in the club you have to play by their rules. They make it this way on purpose. So play by their rules, get in the club and change the rules. But until then, it’s not going to change. So do the due diligence and play the game by the rules. The law is there.