A Wisconsin woman who is running for a legislative seat is causing controversy with her selection of the phrase she used to describe herself.

Independent candidate Ieshuh Griffin is running for a downtown Milwaukee seat in the state Assembly and wants to use the phrase: “NOT the ‘white man’s b**ch,’” as a way to distinguish herself  from amongst her running mates but the election oversight board decided Wednesday (June 21) that the description is not allowed.

Griffin, who is Black and hopes to cover the east side of Milwaukee and parts of Glendale, argued her case to the five white, retired judges on the board that regulates elections. She said the phrase was protected free speech.

“It’s a freedom of expression,” she said. “It’s not racial. It’s not a slur.”

But the state’s Government Accountability Board voted to bar that wording, agreeing with a staff recommendation that it is pejorative, which violates state law and is not allowed.

According to state law, independent candidates are allowed to have five words describing themselves placed after their names on the ballot as long as it’s not pejorative, profane, and discriminatory or includes an obscene word or phrase.

Although 3 of the five judges agreed that the phrase was not offensive, but instead was powerful and to the point, one felt compelled to object her opinion mid meeting.

The Associated Press reports that Roxanne Dunlap, a white woman from Sussex, felt compelled to speak up in the middle of the meeting, saying she was offended by the statement. She said if a white candidate wanted to have the statement “not the black man’s b—-” put on the ballot, it would be soundly rejected.

But fellow board members Judges Thomas Barland and Gordon Myse disagreed.

“She says a lot in five words,” Barland told AP. “It wasn’t pornographic, it wasn’t obscene and I didn’t interpret it as racial.”

Myse states:

“Isn’t she saying, ‘I’m not under the white man’s direction? I’m independent of that.’ Isn’t that what she’s saying?”

3 out of 5 votes weren’t enough to allow Griffin to use the phrasing and to successfully pass, she would have needed to obtain one more vote. Though her choice of words is causing quite a stir, Griffin states that it wasn’t directed at any one individual but the government as a whole. The b-word was referring to a female dog that rolls over.

The phrase was included on nomination papers Griffin circulated to get the 200 signatures needed to be on the Nov. 2 ballot. Griffin, who described herself as a “30ish” community activist, will still appear as an independent candidate.