Libertarian Candidate Challenges Ballot Name Rule | Des Moines News

A Libertarian candidate in Iowa, Marco Battaglia, is fighting to stay on the ballot after being disqualified for using his stage name instead of his legal name, Mark T. Andersen. The state panel ruled he must use his legal name, citing Iowa law’s default requirement — but Battaglia argues the law doesn’t forbid stage names and he’s run under “Marco Battaglia” before, even with a band and podcast under that name. The panel’s majority sided with the legal name rule, warning it could mislead voters, but the State Auditor dissented, saying it’s unfair to voters who already know him by his stage name. Battaglia’s lawsuit now asks a judge to overturn the decision, arguing voters should recognize him by the name they know. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/3e6e683812b3544e