Ballot measures related to sports eligibility requirements based on sex, 2026

Ballot measures related to sports eligibility requirements based on sex, 2026

Measures in 2026

2026 state measures

2026 local measures

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Voters in five states—Colorado, Maine, Nebraska, Nevada, and Washington—could decide on ballot measures related to sports eligibility requirements based on sex.

This page lists qualified and potential measures by state, and includes arguments from supporters and opponents. Click on the links below to find the following:

• Ballot measures addressing sports eligibility requirements based on sex
• Campaign finance summary for tracked ballot measures

Ballot measures addressing sports eligibility requirements based on sex

Ballotpedia is tracking five ballot measures related to sports eligibility requirements based on sex.

Qualified

Two measures in Colorado and Washington that address transgender sports participation have qualified for statewide ballots in 2026.

State	Type	Title	Description
CO	CISS	Sex Requirement for School and College Sports Initiative	Require all K-12 and collegiate school sports teams to be separated based on biological sex, unless the team is co-ed
WA	IndISS	Sex Verification Requirements for Female School Sports Initiative	Require school and voluntary nonprofit athletics to prohibit biologically male students from competing with and against biologically female students

Colorado

Washington

Colorado Require Separate Teams Based on Biological Sex or Co-Ed Teams for School Sports Measure

The initiated state statute would require all K-12 and collegiate school sports teams to be separated based on biological sex, unless the team is co-ed. It was filed by Protect Kids Colorado. It was cleared for gathering signatures on August 25, 2025. The deadline to submit signatures was February 20.

On March 16, 2026, the Colorado Secretary of State certified the initiative for the ballot.

Support

Protect Kids Colorado's campaign website says, "Bigger, stronger biological males are invading girls' sports in Colorado, taking away our girls' dignity, safety, and opportunity. Our ballot measure ensures girls' sports are protected, requiring sports leagues and teams be specifically designated male, female, or co-ed. Because girls' sports in Colorado should be for girls. That's it."

Opposition

Z Williams, co-director of the Denver nonprofit Bread and Roses Legal Center, said, "The number of trans athletes is incredibly small, and the number of gender-affirming surgeries done for transgender youth or minors is even smaller. We have two ballot measures … that are going to require hundreds of thousands of dollars, waste a lot of time, create a lot of confusion during the election over two pretty much manufactured issues.”

Washington Limit Participation in Female Sports to Students Verified as Biologically Female Initiative

The initiative to the Legislature would require schools and voluntary nonprofit athletics to prohibit biologically male students from competing with and against biologically female students in an athletic competition if the activity has separate classifications for male and female students. These requirements would apply to individual and team competitions. The initiative would require that a student athlete's biological sex be verified by their health care provider, "relying only on one or more of the following: The student's reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone levels."

Let's Go Washington is leading the campaign in support of the ballot initiative. It was filed and cleared for signature gathering in June 2025. The campaign submitted 445,187 signatures on January 2, 2026. On January 22, the secretary of state announced the petition met the signature requirement and certified it to the legislature.

The Washington State Legislature did not act on the ballot initiative before the legislative session ended on March 13, 2026, certifying the initiative for the ballot.

Support

Ahnaleigh Wilson and Frances Staudt, two high school athletes in Washington, said, "Biological men are competing in girls’ sports in Washington State, and it’s destroying fairness in girls’ sports. Title 9 created opportunities for women and girls to compete in sports, and those opportunities are being erased. As [two] female athletes who have been directly impacted by boys competing in girls’ sports, we are standing up for all 110,000 girls playing sports in Washington state middle and high schools. We’re too young to vote, but old enough to use our voice. We need moms, dads, grandparents, brothers and sisters to have the courage to stand up and protect fairness in girls’ sports."

Opposition

Washington Families for Freedom, the campaign registered in opposition to the initiative, said, "[T]his poorly designed initiative ultimately could put some girls at greater risk by subjecting them to invasive genital exams just to play on an after-school team. We should not impose a blanket ban that eliminates case-by-case solutions and distracts from affordability, housing, and other real problems facing Washingtonians."

Potential

Three ballot initiatives are in the process of qualifying for the ballot in Nevada, Maine, and Nebraska. All three measures would require sport participation based on sex, unless a team is co-ed.

State	Type	Title	Description
ME	IndISS	Birth Certificate Sex Requirement for Public School Sports Initiative	Require that public school sports teams designated for girls or boys be limited to students of the corresponding sex, as recorded on their birth certificate
NE	CICA	Sex Requirement for School and College Sports Amendment	Require schools designate sports team as male, female, or co-ed and prohibit male participation on female sports teams
NV	CICA	Biological Sex Requirements for School Sports Programs Amendment	Require that eligibility for sports or athletic competitions in public schools and colleges is based upon the biological sex of the athlete recorded at birth rather than gender identity or gender expression, and that biological males are not permitted to participate in a sport or competition designated for biological females

Click on a state tab below to read more about the initiatives.

Maine

Nebraska

Nevada

Maine Birth Certificate Sex Requirement for Public School Sports Initiative

The indirect initiated state statute would require that public school sports teams designated for girls or boys be limited to students of the corresponding sex, as recorded on their original birth certificate. The ballot initiative would also require public schools to maintain separate restrooms, locker rooms, shower rooms, and other private spaces for each sex. Schools would be required to designate athletic teams as male, female, or coeducational. Girls would be allowed to participate on male-designated teams when no female-designated team is available for that sport. The ballot initiative would allow students who are denied athletic opportunities or suffer direct injuries due to violations of the initiative to bring a civil action for injunctive relief, damages, and attorney’s fees against a school or the organization that governs interscholastic or competitive school sports.

Protect Girls Sports in Maine is sponsoring the initiative. The initiative was approved for signature gathering in November 2025. The campaign filed more than 82,000 signatures.

Support

Protect Girls' Sports in Maine said on its campaign website, "The truth is, males are currently in female sports, taking female trophies, and invading female safe spaces (like locker rooms and bathrooms). This is not a far away concept; it is happening right here in Maine. Concerned parents have brought these issues to their school boards, but the Maine Principal’ Association and State Legislature have failed to act. It’s now time that we – as citizens of this great state – decide for ourselves what we want for our kids."

Opposition

Harry Burke, campaign manager for U.S. House candidate Matt Dunlap (D), said, "Mainers are worried about healthcare and the cost of living. This is a manufactured issue from Republicans. Paul LePage is only trying to distract from the fact that he cut healthcare for working class people so he could afford to give massive tax breaks to rich people.”

Nebraska Sex Requirement for School and College Sports Amendment (2026)

The initiated constitutional amendment would require schools to designate sports teams as male, female, or co-ed. Teams designated as female would prohibit male sex students from participating. The amendment would apply to all public schools and college teams and any private-run school that competes against public schools or colleges. The amendment would also authorize the Nebraska State Legislature to pass laws to facilitate the amendment's operation.

Robert M. Shafer, Julie Slama, and Elizabeth Nunnally filed the initiative on February 26, 2026.

Support

Fairness for Girls, the campaign behind the initiative, said, "Nebraskans support preserving opportunities for young girls, protecting female athletes’ safety, and keeping the process fair. Biological males competing in girls’ sports pose a physical safety risk to young girls while also taking away opportunities for medals, tournament advancement and scholarships."

Opposition

Rainbow Parents of Nebraska said, "Trans people make up less than 1% of our state’s population. Trans athletes are an even smaller percentage of that 1%. This does NOT protect women as they like to claim. This is another distraction and an attempt to increase conservative voter turnout."

Nevada Biological Sex Requirements for School Sports Programs Amendment

The initiated constitutional amendment would require that eligibility for sports or athletic competitions in public schools and colleges is based upon the biological sex of the athlete recorded at birth rather than gender identity or gender expression, and that biological males are not permitted to participate in a sport or competition designated for biological females. Biological females may participate in a sport designated for biological males if there is no comparable sport or competition offered for biological females.

Protect Girls' Sports PAC filed the initiative in January 2026.

In Nevada, initiated constitutional amendments must be approved at two consecutive statewide general elections, which means if the initiative makes the 2026 ballot, it would also need to be approved in 2028.

Support

• Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R), who is sponsoring the Nevada initiative, said, "We are taking thoughtful steps to ensure girls’ sports are fair and athletes are safe."

• Adriana Guzmán Fralick, one of the directors of the initiative, said, "Title IX was instituted for a reason – to create a level playing field so that girls and boys have an equal chance to succeed in our schools. But there has been an attack on girls’ athletics that seeks to disrupt that equality. The people of Nevada do not support this, and I’m proud to help them make their voice heard on this issue at the ballot box."

Opposition

• Silver State Equality, which describes itself as Nevada’s statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, said, "We all want sports to be fair and student athletes to be safe. That’s why school districts and sports associations already make rules about who can participate in different sports at different levels. A blanket statewide ban overriding these rules would be bad for everyone, requiring young girls to answer invasive personal questions or even undergo physical inspections by strangers if they want to play sports."

• Washoe County Commission Chair Alexis Hill, who is running as a Democrat gubernatorial candidate in Nevada, said, "I think that this is all about politics to drive Republican turnout and it’s unacceptable and really a nonissue in Nevada."

Campaign finance

Ballotpedia is tracking the following campaign finance information for ballot measures on these policies.

Ballot Measure	Total Contributions	Support Contributions	Opposition Contributions	Outcome
Colorado Sex Requirement for School and College Sports Initiative (2026)	$55,729.90	$55,729.90	$0.00
Maine Birth Certificate Sex Requirement for Public School Sports Initiative (2026)	$800,000.00	$800,000.00	$0.00
Washington Sex Verification Requirements for Female School Sports Initiative (2026)	$5,185,767.66	$4,453,362.28	$732,405.38

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