The first hearing was held Tuesday on a novel bill aimed at increasing the frequency of Ohioans challenging the legality of transgender candidates who legally change their name.
Republican sponsors of the bill – Representatives Rodney Creech (southwest Alexandria) AND Angie King (R-Celina) – both are expected to run against our transgender candidates in the 2024 general election.
Members Ohio House of Representatives Government Oversight Committee heard testimony from the sponsor on Tuesday morning Ohio House of Representatives Bill (HB) No. 471which would give registered voters of any political party a legal basis to challenge the legality of transgender candidates if they do not publicly disclose their previous legal name.
Currently, only registered voters from the same party as a potential candidate can formally challenge a candidate’s standing, for any reason.
Under HB 471, any voter could challenge any candidate based on a narrow list of criteria, including failure to include previous legal names on official election documents – in effect excluding transgender candidates, who would be required to publicly state any changes to their legal name in the last five years. years. Moreover, there is no place in the current election documentation to enter previous names.
If passed, the bill could completely bar both of their political opponents from serving as elected officials, even if voters choose them in November.
Disqualification of transgender candidates
Republican lawmakers introduced HB 471 just weeks after House Democrats introduced it HB 467, which would be an exception to a little-known Ohio law requiring applicants to formally disclose any name changes in the past five years. The exemption would cover all name changes and would mirror the exemption already provided in the law regarding name changes by marriage.
Democratic sponsors of HB 467 – Reps. Michele Grim (D-Toledo) AND Beryl Piccolantonio (D-Gahanna) – stated that they drafted the legislation in direct response to a series of anti-LGBTQ+ incidents involving transgender candidates during the March 2024 election cycle:
42-year-old in January transgender candidate Vanessa Joy was disqualified she dropped out of the running for a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives after failing to include her previous legal name on official election documents.
Arienne Childrey, transgender candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives King’s opponent in the race to represent District 40 – was allowed to run for office by Auglaize County Board of Elections.
Creech’s opponent, Bobbie Arnold, is also transgender and was allowed to vote by Preble County Board of Elections.
If either of them wins, both Arnold and Childrey will face involuntary dismissal from their positions as elected officials.
“Even if a candidate is elected after violating one of the five grounds set forth in this bill, he or she will be required to vacate his or her seat and repay any funds received in the form of compensation,” Creech said during public testimony Tuesday.
“The candidate, if successful, will be immediately dismissed from office,” King repeated to the committee.
Committee members respond
Both HB 471 and HB 467 were assigned to the House Government Oversight Committee. However, Democrat-sponsored HB 467 has yet to receive a public hearing, even though it was sent to committee weeks before Republican-sponsored HB 471.
During Tuesday’s sponsor testimony, committee members questioned the necessity of the monument.
“I don’t understand,” he said Representative Richard D. Brown (D District 5). “I just don’t understand the purpose of this bill.”
In addition to the three transgender candidates currently running for seats in the Ohio House of Representatives, Brown noted concerns about citizenship and how the law could be used to target specific candidates based on race or ethnicity.
“The reality is that there are bad actors and politics is a dirty game – I know it is,” Brown said, noting that the bill could be used to level false election and identity fraud allegations against specific candidates.
“We didn’t take that into account,” King said.
Upon further questioning, neither King nor Creech were able to describe the candidate certification process through any of the 88 county boards of elections.
“We can’t talk about this,” King told committee members. “I have never cooperated with the Electoral Commission. I don’t know what their process is.
Protection of transgender candidates
Rep. Beth Liston (D District 8) he also questioned the necessity of introducing this act, citing the effectiveness of existing provisions on election petitions.
“I’m concerned about the process going forward,” Liston said, describing a potential situation in which candidates received dozens of subpoenas from voters, each requiring individual hearings to determine whether the law had been violated.
“It’s a pretty big resource investment,” Liston said.
A history of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric
In 2023, Republican King protested outside an LGBTQ+ pride event with members of a self-described Christian group and Aryan White Nationalists, a neo-Nazi group affiliated with the party Aryan Freedom Network and the organized activities of the Ku Klux Klan.
King has a documented history of using anti-LGBTQ+ language in line with Christian nationalism.
Last month, she appeared on the April 5 episode of “The Windsor Report,” a conservative radio talk show hosted by Jack Windsor that regularly uses anti-transgender rhetoric to question both the existence and mental health of transgender Ohioans.
During the segment, King repeatedly asserted that the current election law applies to everyone: “It’s a requirement for every candidate. Everyone must follow this rule.”
The king did not explain that law “does not apply to changing the surname in connection with marriage”, and therefore does not apply to every candidate.
At one point in the interview, Windsor came up with a hypothetical situation involving a trapped woman:
“Based on their logic, this incarcerated criminal should be released,” Windsor said, referring to his interpretation of the transgender candidates’ position. “The new person should just get out of jail. Is that what they say?”
However, the current Ohio Revised Code does not allow Ohioans with criminal convictions to run for office, something King did not outline in his response to Windsor.
Additionally, King directly accused transgender candidates of lying about their legal identities.
“For a group that wants to talk about inclusion, they don’t want equality,” King said. “They don’t want to play by the same rules as everyone else. What they really want is special laws or exceptions to circumvent the law.” 🔥
ignite the action
- To register to vote or check your eligibility to vote in Ohio, click here.
- To find the contact information for your Ohio State Representative, click here.
- To find the contact information for an Ohio senator, click here.
- If you are a juvenile LGBTQ+ person in crisis, please contact Trevor’s project: 866-4-U-Trevor.
- If you are a transgender adult in need of immediate facilitate, please contact National Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
