Official title: ""
What This Bill Does
HB 196 would add a space for candidates to include former legal names on candidacy petitions and expand who may challenge candidate legitimacy based on alleged failure to list former names within the last five years.
Impact on LGBTQIA+ Ohioans
While framed as election integrity, this measure disproportionately affects transgender candidates who have legally changed their names. Former names can function as "deadnames," and mandatory public disclosure enables harassment, doxxing, or violence. The expansion of protest eligibility also raises due-process concerns around strategic nuisance challenges.
Legal & Constitutional Risks
- Privacy vs. Election Integrity — Mandatory disclosure of former names creates safety risks for transgender candidates
- Due Process / Abuse of Process — Expanded protest mechanisms could facilitate targeted challenges
- Disproportionate impact on name-change holders, including transgender people
Timeline
March 24, 2025
Introduced in the House
March 26, 2025
Referred to House General Government Committee
April 29, 2025
1st hearing