Ahead of the 2024 general election, Ohio Rep. Tex Fischer (Boardman), a Republican, was nearly disqualified after failing to disclose his former legal name on a petition for candidacy.
Earlier that year, two of Fischer’s Republican colleagues – both running against transgender candidates in the general election – used the same obscure law to challenge the candidacy of three transgender Ohioans seeking public office, including their own opponents.
Now Fischer is proposing a new bill that would formally address the name-change law and protect transgender candidates from being forcibly outed during the election process.
In May, Fischer proposed Ohio House Bill (HB) 950, which would require a dedicated space for former names on nominating petitions and declarations of candidacy, while also removing a requirement that former names appear on ballots themselves.
Fischer did not respond to The Buckeye Flame’s request for comment at the time print, but has previously discussed both his plans for election reform and his thoughts on transgender candidates across the state.
“I do feel for the other candidates who dealt with this issue,” he told The Buckeye Flame in September 2024. “I don’t think any of them ever intended to deceive anyone and simply wished to participate in the process and be true to themselves.”
“If someone wants to run for office, they should be allowed to,” Fischer added. “The voters can elect or reject them based on their own merits and their platforms, rather than technicalities that candidates are rarely aware of.”
Pushing for election reform
Aside from an explicit exception that allows married women to omit their maiden names, all Ohioans are already required to list any legal name changes that occurred within the last five years on their petitions for candidacy. However, there is not currently a dedicated space to list former names on declarations of candidacy or nominating petitions.
Transgender candidate Vanessa Joy was disqualified from running for the Ohio House during the 2024 general election after she failed to disclose her former legal name – which had been changed legally within the past five years.
Within weeks, transgender candidates Ari Childrey and Bobbi Arnold were challenged by their own opponents – conservative Republican Reps. Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria) and Angie King (R-Celina) – using the same rule.
Both Childrey and Arnold ultimately appeared on the ballot. However, their challengers sparked an ongoing debate around election reform and transgender candidates.
Fischer – who is not transgender – legally changed his name from “Austin James Fischer” to “Austin James Texford Fischer” in 2020, but failed to include his former legal name on official election paperwork, according to reporting by Cleveland.com.
After a Mahoning County Democratic official sparked concern around equal enforcement of the rule, Fischer was nearly disqualified using the same obscure law used by his Republican colleagues to target their transgender opponents.
Ultimately, Fischer was cleared to appear on the ballot in the general election, but publicly called for the rule to be changed:
“I think the spirit of the original law makes sense, which is to ensure people aren’t changing their name for political purposes or trying to hide things from the voters,” Fischer said. “But I don’t think the situations we are dealing with today are in violation of the spirit of that law, and it should be changed.”
Dueling name-change bills
King and Creech first introduced HB 471 during the 135th Ohio congressional session in 2024, which also would have added a space on candidacy petitions to list any former legal names.
Currently, only registered members of the same political party as the prospective candidate are allowed to formally challenge that candidate’s eligibility.
The bill would also change that rule, allowing a person registered under any political party to challenge the eligibility of any candidate based on the suspected existence of former legal names – a non-partisan process that would allow candidates like Creech and King to formally challenge transgender opponents.
Democratic Reps. Michelle Grimm (Toledo) and Beryl Brown-Piccolantonio (Dublin) countered the bill with HB 467, which would have granted transgender candidates an exemption to the disclosure rule. The bill never left committee.
After passing in the House, language in Creech and King’s bill was rolled into Senate Bill 71, where it died during the final moments of the 135th General Assembly.
The pair re-introduced it as HB 196 in 2025. The bill has been assigned to the House General Government Committee and has received one public hearing.
“I don’t have any issues really with HB 196, but I don’t think it addresses the issue I am looking to solve,” Fischer told The Buckeye Flame. “I am glad [the bill addresses] the issue with the form not having the appropriate space for name change information because it makes it less likely for someone to violate the law innocently and be disqualified.”
“It is still my intention to introduce legislation later on this GA to remove the deadnaming requirement,” he added, using a term some transgender people use to refer to their former legal or birth names.
Increased transparency
Republicans have argued that the changes support greater transparency in elections – often implying that candidates who have changed their names may be intentionally hiding legal issues from voters.
However, Ohio probate court judges typically do not grant name changes to Ohioans who have been convicted of criminal offenses including fraud, identity theft, child abuse, sex crimes and other violent offenses like assaults or domestic-violence incidents.
Some probate court judges may even decline to issue an order for a name change if an applicant is found to owe back taxes, child support or certain types of spousal support.
Additionally, Ohioans who legally change their names are required to provide public notice by publishing the changes via a free legal newspaper for 30 days ahead of the probate court’s review, allowing members of the public time to contact the court with objections. Name changes and marriage licenses are also public record and are often accessible via county probate court websites.
“I also don’t think it should be necessary to publish someone’s deadname on the ballot,” Fischer told The Buckeye Flame in 2024.
“My situation is obviously different,” he added “Someone like Vanessa Joy or Arienne Childrey’s name change has a lot more meaning to them, and I don’t think publishing a former name really does the voters any good and only causes the candidate grief.”
“We can protect voters from bad actors who may change their names, without disenfranchising people who aren’t trying to hide anything,” he added.
HB 950 has been assigned to the House General Government Committee. Public testimony has not yet been scheduled. 🔥
Ignite Action
- To find contact information for your Ohio state representative, click here.
- To find contact information for your Ohio senator, click here.
- To access The Buckeye Flame’s full LGBTQ+ legislation guide for the 136th Ohio General Assembly, click here.
- If you are a young LGBTQ+ person in crisis, please contact the Trevor Project: 866-4-U-Trevor.
- If you are an transgender adult in need of immediate help, contact the National Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
Editor’s Note: Rep. Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria) in 2025 was under investigation for sexually abusing a minor family member, who told police Creech crawled into bed with her while partially unclothed and erect. Creech has publicly denied the allegations, calling them “political in nature.” Creech was briefly stripped of his committee assignments, but has since been allowed to return to his assigned committee duties.
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