A Reform Party-backed independent candidate for the Ohio state legislature is suing the Geauga County Board of Elections and Ohio Secretary of State after his bid for ballot access was rejected.
According to a Reform Party press release shared with Independent Political Report, Justin Tjaden’s bid for ballot access in Ohio’s 99th legislative district was rebuked after more than 30% of his 552 signatures were disqualified by the Geauga and Ashtabula Board of Elections. Tjaden, who is running as an independent candidate with Reform support, was then left with only 371 of the 495 signatures he needed to qualify.
Later information provided to Tjaden by the Geauga and Ashtabula County Board of Elections indicate that the rejection largely stemmed from technical discrepancies, including variations in signatures and address formats. One such example cited by the press release was an address signed as “555 Plymouth” instead of “555 Plymouth Dr.”
The release then goes on to criticize the Geauga and Ashtabula County Board of Elections, with Reform Party Chair Nicholas Hensley alleging a perceived conflict of interest. In particular, Hensley notes that the husband of current district incumbent, Republican State Rep. Sarah Arthur, sits on the Ashtabula County Board of Elections.
“The board of elections has to be a neutral body. If someone is married or related to an officeholder, and has a say in the election in which that officeholder is elected, then there is a conflict of interest,” states Hensley. “The incestuous relationship between the board of elections and the election it oversees is nothing short of corruption. In my opinion, there should be legal statutes against this kind of blatant misconduct.”
In response to the rejection, Tjaden has taken legal action by filing a lawsuit against the Geauga Board of Elections, as well as naming the Ohio Secretary of State as an interested party. While a full copy of the lawsuit is not yet available, Tjaden confirmed on his campaign X account that the suit was filed. “I’ve filed my lawsuit in the Geauga County Court of Common Pleas, challenging the signature requirements for Ohio Independent Candidates when their major party opponents don’t face primary challengers,” he wrote.
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