Ohio House, Stark court clerk candidate left off March primary ballot

Tim Botos, Canton Repository
Updated ·3 min read
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Early voting is just around the corner for the March 19 primary elections in Ohio.
Early voting is just around the corner for the March 19 primary elections in Ohio.

CANTON ‒ Two local political candidates were disqualified Tuesday from running in the March 19 primary election.

Kimberly Bell, a Democratic hopeful in the Stark County clerk of courts race, and Vanessa Joy, the only Democrat seeking the Ohio House 50th District seat, were both left off a slate of candidates certified for the ballot.

Stark County's four-member Board of Elections said it found flaws in both of their nominating petitions ― paperwork submitted by last month's deadline.

Bell, a Canton mayoral candidate last year, fell short of the needed 50 valid signatures of registered voters. She'd submitted 71 names, but only 43 were deemed valid.

Joy had enough valid signatures. Problem was, she legally changed her name in 2022 and did not include her former name on the petitions she'd circulated, as required by law.

Opportunity to fight the decisions

Contacted by phone, Bell said she was going to contact the elections board for more information.

Joy, who's transgender, said she didn't know she had to include her former name. State law requires anyone who's changed names during the past five years — for almost any reason — to include his or her former name on petitions.

Kimberly Bell
Kimberly Bell

"That's annoying ... obviously they got me on that," she said by phone.

Joy said she'll reach out to members of the state's House Democratic Caucus for advice. By law, non-certified candidates have until Friday to appeal the board's decision.

Bell's absence would clear the way for Rick Campbell in that Democratic primary. He'd then face a November battle against incumbent GOP Clerk of Courts Lynn Miller Todaro.

With Joy out of the 50th House race, Republican Matthew Kishman stands to win in the fall, unless a write-in candidate enters the fray. The 50th District incumbent, Reggie Stoltzfus, R-Paris Township, opted to run for Congress.

The district forms a U-shape in Stark County and includes Canal Fulton, East Canton, Massillon and Minerva.

A pair of candidates for party central committee and a Sunday sales liquor option for the 19th Hole also won't make the primary ballot. Republican Karl Conant and Democrat Susan Fernandez were left off, due to lack of valid signatures, as was the 19th Hole, a downtown Canton bar with golf simulators.

Polling location changes

And it was a close call for a 5.75-mill Jackson Township police replacement levy.

The question will appear on the ballot. However, some of the township's paperwork indicated the issue was tied to a fire, not police, levy. The board's legal adviser said the mistake can be treated as a typo and not a disqualifying error.

In other business, the board:

  • Approved a polling location change for Massillon Ward 5 precincts A, B, C and D. They'll return to the Boys & Girls Club of Massillon, from St. Barbara Church. St. Barbara was used recently because a new Club building was under construction.

  • Moved the polling location for Plain Township precinct 2 from Northwest Church of Christ to Trinity United Church of Christ, 3909 Blackburn Road NW.

  • Opened three bids to print paper ballots for early voting in the March primaries. The apparent low bidder is Election IQ, of Akron, at a cost of $56,100.

Reach Tim at 330-580-8333 or tim.botos@cantonrep.com.On X: @tbotosREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark elections board disqualifies Kimberly Bell, Vanessa Joy