A Maine initiative aimed at restricting transgender students' participation in school sports has been removed from the November ballot due to invalid petition signatures, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced Tuesday.
Initiative Details and Signature Shortfall
The proposal, backed by the group Protect Girls Sports in Maine, sought to require public schools to base bathroom and sports access on the gender listed on a child's birth certificate. Bellows, a Democrat running for governor, stated that her staff found over 12,000 signatures invalid, leaving the petition a few hundred short of the required 67,682 valid signatures.
This decision represents a setback for the broader national effort to limit transgender student participation in sports. Maine became a focal point last year amid a public dispute between Democratic Governor Janet Mills and President Donald Trump.
Secretary of State's Statement
“We take the integrity of the petitions just as seriously as we take the security of voting,” Bellows said. “It’s really important that anyone seeking to place an initiative on the ballot follow the law.”
The petitioners have 10 days to appeal the ruling. Representatives for Protect Girls Sports in Maine did not immediately comment, but the group previously indicated it would continue pushing for the measure and can attempt to place it on a future ballot.
National Context
At least 19 states have laws banning transgender girls and women from using certain bathrooms in public schools, and over 30 states have policies restricting transgender participation in girls' and women's sports. Courts have blocked enforcement of some of these laws, and none have been enacted via ballot measures. Colorado and Washington have sports-related ballot measures scheduled for November.
Opponents of the Maine initiative, including the Campaign for Free and Fair Schools, supported Bellows' decision, stating the petitioners “failed to follow the rules.”
