{"id":9417,"date":"2026-05-27T04:06:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T04:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=9417"},"modified":"2026-05-27T04:06:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T04:06:28","slug":"maines-transgender-sports-initiative-halted-by-invalid-signatures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=9417","title":{"rendered":"Maine\u2019s transgender sports initiative halted by invalid signatures"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By PATRICK WHITTLE and GEOFF MULVIHILL<\/strong><\/p>\n

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) \u2014 A Maine initiative intended to limit transgender students\u2019 ability to participate in sports has been removed from the ballot because of invalid signatures, the secretary of state ruled Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Read more Puerto Rico\u2019s development agency chief resigns after claiming government interference<\/a><\/p>\n

The proposal from parents\u2019 group Protect Girls Sports in Maine was slated to go before voters in November. It would have asked voters if they wanted to require public schools to restrict access to bathrooms and sports based on the gender denoted on a child\u2019s birth certificate.<\/p>\n

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who is running for governor as a Democrat, said Tuesday her staff found that more than 12,000 signatures on the petition for the referendum were invalid. That leaves the petition drive a few hundred short of the 67,682 required for the initiative to make the ballot, Bellows said.<\/p>\n

Bellows\u2019 decision is a setback for the nationwide movement to limit or ban transgender students in sports. Maine emerged as a battleground for the issue last year following a public disagreement between Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who is in her final year of office due to term limits, and President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe take the integrity of the petitions just as seriously as we take the security of voting. It\u2019s really important that anyone seeking to place a initiative on the ballot follow the law,\u201d Bellows said.<\/p>\n

Leyland Streiff, principal officer of Protect Girls Sports in Maine, said in a statement that the group \u201cdisagrees with the secretary of state\u2019s decision declaring the Protect Girls Sports initiative ineligible for the November ballot.\u201d The group \u201cis working to ensure full judicial review of the secretary\u2019s decision with the understanding that the courts, not the secretary, should have the final word on this important matter,\u201d Streiff said.<\/p>\n

The petitioners have 10 days to appeal Bellows\u2019 decision. The group will also have the ability to try to get the initiative on a future ballot, Bellows said. The secretary of state\u2019s office released a recommended decision about the initiative last week that said the petition \u201cdoes not meet the constitution threshold\u201d of valid signatures.<\/p>\n

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\n<\/div>\n

At least 19 states have laws banning transgender girls and women from using girls\u2019 and women\u2019s bathrooms at public school, and in some cases, other government facilities, private schools or public places. Enforcement of one of the laws \u2013 in Montana \u2013 has been put on hold by a court.<\/p>\n

At least 30 states have laws or other statewide policies that seek to keep transgender girls and women from competing in girls and women\u2019s sports. Courts have blocked enforcement of some of the laws.<\/p>\n

None of the laws on bathrooms or sports restrictions came about through ballot measures. Two other Democratic-controlled states \u2013 Colorado and Washington \u2013 have sports-related laws on the ballot for November.<\/p>\n

The restrictions on both fronts have been adopted in the past five years, and have been championed by Trump. Since his return to office last year, he has terminated agreements with school districts to protect transgender students and signed an executive order to limit sports participation by transgender athletes.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Opponents of the Maine ballot initiative said Tuesday they agreed with Bellows\u2019 decision. The petitioners \u201cfailed to follow the rules,\u201d said David Farmer, campaign manager for the Campaign for Free and Fair Schools, which opposed the question.<\/p>\n

Read more Community frustrations, concerns about lack of preparation aired at Garden Grove meeting<\/a><\/p>\n

Mulvihill reported from Haddonfield, New Jersey.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who is running for governor as a Democrat, said Tuesday her staff found more than 12,000 signatures on the petition for the referendum were invalid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9416,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMaine\u2019s transgender sports initiative halted by invalid signatures - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=9417\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Maine\u2019s transgender sports initiative halted by invalid signatures - 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