Gay Candidate
Removed From Georgia Ballot

A gay candidate for the Georgia house of representatives has been removed from the fall ballot because of his failure to meet the two-year minimum residency requirement to run for state office, the Southern Voice reported Friday.

Keith Gross was up against Republican incumbent Mike Jacobs for district 80.

According to the report, Gross did not register to vote in Georgia until November 2007, nor could he provide a lease, utility, or phone bill from a Georgia residence dating before that month. Gross claimed that he lived with his mother in Conyers, Ga., while he operated a restaurant in Gaithersburg, Md., but then testified that she moved back to Florida in 2005.

"The court finds [Gross's] inconsistent testimony coupled with the following facts dispositive in concluding that he does not meet the necessary requirements to establish residency in the state of Georgia," administrative law judge Michael Malihi wrote in his ruling.

Gross, 24, would have been the first openly gay man to serve in the Georgia house if elected, according to the report. The state's Democratic Party spokesperson, Martin Matheny, said that the Gross campaign is considering an appeal.

"We'll wait to see what happens to the appeal," Matheny told the Voice. "But Mike Jacobs needs to be challenged in the November election; he needs to be held accountable by the people of the 80th district." (The Advocate)