Columbus, Ohio WCMH — A Republican candidate for the Ohio House could be removed from the ballot due to a state law that previously disqualified a transgender candidate for not including their former legal name.
On August 15, the Mahoning County Board of Elections was split 2-2 on whether to let Rep. Tex Fischer R-Boardman stay on the ballot. The Democratic Party argued he should be removed because he didn’t list his former name, Austin James Fischer, on his filing paperwork. Fischer, who is 28, changed his name in 2020 to Austin James Texford Fischer when he started using “Tex.”
The decision is now with Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who has not yet commented on when a decision will be made.
The Mahoning County Democratic Party pointed to a state law requiring candidates who change their name to include both their current and former names on their candidacy and nominating petition forms. Fischer’s form only included his current name.
Fischer’s attorney, Curt Hartman, argued that the law only applies to official forms like the statement of candidacy and nomination petition, not to the party nomination form. Since Fischer was appointed to the seat and skipped the primary process, he didn’t fill out the statement of candidacy or nomination petition.
Corey Colombo, representing the Democratic Party, noted that this law has also affected transgender candidates. For example, Vanessa Joy was disqualified from running for House District 50 for not including her former name on her petition, and Bobbie Arnold’s disqualification was dismissed, while Ari Faber is running with his deadname due to not legally changing it.
Arienne Childrey, a trans candidate who nearly faced disqualification, supports Fischer, arguing that the law needs reform and that candidates should be judged on their ideas, not outdated rules.
In response, two bills have been introduced to address the issue: one would allow any voter to protest a party’s candidate, while the other would amend the former name requirement, adding an exemption if the name change was court-approved and providing more space on the candidacy form.