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Washington Biological Sex Requirements for School Sports Initiative (2026)
| Washington Biological Sex Requirements for School Sports Initiative (2026) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2026 | |
| Topic Sex and gender issues and Athletics and sports | |
| Status Cleared for signature gathering | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Washington Biological Sex Requirements for School Sports Initiative may be on the ballot in Washington as an indirect initiated state statute on November 3, 2026.
The ballot initiative would require school 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.[1] These requirements would apply to individual and team competitions. The initiative states that a student athlete's biological sex will 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."[1]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The official ballot title is as follows:[2]
| “ | This measure would prohibit students it defines as “biologically male” from competing in certain school athletic activities intended for female students only. It would require verification of biological sex by students’ healthcare providers.
Should this measure be enacted into law?[3] |
” |
Ballot summary
The official ballot summary is as follows:[2]
| “ | Initiative Measure No. IL26-638 concerns participation in athletics at K-12 schools.[3] | ” |
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
Process in Washington
An indirect initiated state statute is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends state statute. There are nine (9) states that allow citizens to initiate indirect state statutes.
While a direct initiative is placed on the ballot once supporters file the required number of valid signatures, an indirect initiative is first presented to the state legislature. Legislators have a certain number of days, depending on the state, to adopt the initiative into law. Should legislators take no action or reject the initiative, the initiative is put on the ballot for voters to decide.
In Washington, the number of signatures required for an indirect initiated state statute, called an Initiative to the Legislature (ITL), is equal to 8% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. Signatures for indirect initiatives are due at least 10 days prior to the beginning of the legislative session in the year of the targeted election.
In Washington, the Legislature has three options regarding Initiatives to the Legislature:
- (1) The Legislature can adopt an Initiative to the Legislature, in which case the initiative is enacted into law without a vote of electors;
- (2) The Legislature can reject or not act on the initiative, in which case the initiative is placed on the ballot at the next state general election; or
- (3) The Legislature can approve an alternative to the proposed initiative, in which case both the original proposal and the legislative alternative are placed on the ballot at the next state general election.
If an indirect initiative goes to the ballot, a simple majority vote is required for approval.
The requirements to get an Initiative to the Legislature certified for the 2026 ballot:
- Signatures: 308,911 valid signatures
- Deadline: January 2, 2026
Stages of this ballot initiative
The following is the timeline of the initiative:[4]
- June 2, 2025: Citizen Brian Heywood filed the petition for the initiative with the Washington secretary of state's office.
- June 13, 2025: The initiative was issued a serial number (IL26-638), a ballot title, and a ballot summary. It was cleared to begin gathering signatures.
External links
See also
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Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Washington Secretary of State, "Initiative Measure No. IL26-638 Full Text, "accessed June 16, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Washington Secretary of State, "Ballot Title Letter," accessed June 16, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Proposed Initiatives to the Legislature - 2025," accessed June 16, 2025
