Attorney General Dave Yost is urging the Ohio Supreme Court to uphold a decision removing a Delaware County candidate from the primary ballot over residency concerns.
In an amicus brief filed Tuesday, Yost sided with the Delaware County Board of Elections in the case of State ex rel. Leneghan v. Delaware County Board of Elections. The dispute centers on Melanie Ann Leneghan, a candidate for the Republican State Central Committee representing the 19th State Senate District.
The board voted 3-1 earlier this month to disqualify Leneghan, finding she did not meet Ohio’s residency requirements. It also canceled her voter registration. Leneghan is now asking the state’s high court to overturn that decision through a writ of mandamus.
According to evidence presented during an April 10 hearing, Leneghan and her husband sold their Powell home in January 2025. She testified that she owns a residence in South Carolina, where her husband currently lives, and acknowledged she had not lived at the Delaware County addresses listed on her voter registration and candidacy forms.
Yost’s brief argues that residency is a fundamental requirement for holding office and that candidates cannot “shop for a constituency.” The filing maintains that the board acted within its authority when it determined Leneghan’s claimed ties to the district were not credible.
Ohio law defines residency as a person’s fixed habitation where they intend to return when absent. Yost contends the board properly weighed the evidence and concluded Leneghan failed to meet that standard.
The brief also emphasizes the broader importance of residency requirements, arguing that candidates should have meaningful connections to the communities they seek to represent in order to maintain voter trust and uphold election integrity.
Yost is asking the Ohio Supreme Court to deny Leneghan’s petition and leave the board’s decision in place.