Mercer County Democrats Pass Resolution Supporting the Immediate Dismissal of Protest of Candidacy
At the regular meeting of the Mercer County Democratic Party on January 8th, 2024, the following resolution was passed:
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The Mercer County Democratic Party supports the immediate dismissal of the protest of candidacy filed by Mercer County Republican Party Chair Bob Hibner against Democratic Candidate Arienne Childrey.
Arienne Childrey’s nominating petitions were certified by the Mercer County Board of Elections on December 21st, 2023. Ohio Revised Code Section 3513.05 lists the process for protesting certified partisan primary candidates as “Protests against the candidacy of any person filing a declaration of candidacy for party nomination or for election to an office or position, as provided in this section, may be filed by any qualified elector who is a member of the same political party as the candidate and who is eligible to vote at the primary election for the candidate whose declaration of candidacy the elector objects to, or by the controlling committee of that political party.”
As the controlling committee of the political party, we do not object to Arienne Childrey’s candidacy. We do, however, object to Republican Chair Bob Hibner’s protest of our Democratic Candidate’s right to run for office and our Democratic Members' right to nominate candidates to the general election.
If the Secretary of State and local Boards of Elections wish to enforce former name requirements from Ohio Revised Code Section 3513.271, they should include that information on filing forms, candidate packets, candidate guidebooks, and election officials' handbooks. As it stands, this selective enforcement is nothing but discrimination and political grandstanding.
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Vice-Chair Don Holtvoigt stated, “Mr. Hibner’s protest is nothing but a hateful attempt to further discriminate against a community not meeting the GOP definition of ‘normal.’ A radical approach to alienate qualified candidates and stifle the will of the voters. There is no acceptable explanation to pursue this challenge when no guidance to candidates has been provided. The radical right should cease and desist in their efforts to divide our community.”
