JERSEY CITY, New Jersey (WABC) -- His name is Alexander Hamilton -- and he is suing the clerk of Hudson County, New Jersey, in an attempt to restore his name on the ballot for a seat on the Jersey City School Board.
The clerk, E. Junior Maldonato, rejected Hamilton's nominating petition for failing to list his correct name and disqualified him from running for the school board seat on the "Change for Children" bracket.
Hamilton's legal name is Vernon Alexander Hamilton but his "mother has referred to him from the date of his birth as Alexander in order to differentiate between Alexander and his father, Vernon Hamilton," the lawsuit said.
He sought to the on the ballot as Alexander because that is how his community has come to know him.
"Hamilton is known by his wife, family and friends as 'Alexander Hamilton.' He has never been referred to by any of those individuals as 'Vernon Hamilton,'" the lawsuit said.
Not giving away his shot, Hamilton, 30, asked the county clerk on August 1 to reconsider his petition but request was denied.
His lawsuit said the county clerk's actions were "arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable and contrary to the law."
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