VOTERS PASS TRANSGENDER ATHLETE SPORTS BANS IN THREE STATES

Voters in Washington, Arizona, and Nebraska passed transgender athlete sports bans on November 3, 2026, restricting participation in girls’ school sports. A similar proposal in Colorado was leading in the vote count.

In Washington, Initiative 638 passed with 56.6 percent of the vote. The Associated Press called the race on November 4, 2026, with the Kitsap Sun reporting more than 1.2 million “yes” votes. The measure ends a 2007 policy that allowed students to play on K-12 teams matching their gender identity.

Girls seeking to participate in sports will now need a signed statement from a health care provider verifying their biological sex based on reproductive anatomy, genetics, or natural testosterone levels. The New York Post reported that the measure is set to take effect on December 3, 2026.

Arizona’s Proposition 318 passed with 58.9 percent support. Referred to voters by the state legislature, the measure requires public and private schools to designate teams as male, female, or coed based on a student’s original birth certificate.

Proposition 318 also bars transgender students from using locker rooms and restrooms that do not match their sex at birth. The proposition revives a 2022 state law that a federal appeals court blocked in 2024.

Nebraska voters approved the Fairness for Girls constitutional amendment with 68 percent of the vote. The measure writes the state’s existing ban on transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports into the state constitution to make it harder for a future legislature to repeal.

In Colorado, Proposition 134 was leading with 52.7 percent of the vote while counting continued. If passed, it will require elementary through college athletic teams to base eligibility on a student’s biological reproductive system.

Nadine Bridges, executive director of the LGBTQ advocacy group One Colorado, argued Proposition 134 could lead officials to scrutinize girls who appear too tall or too strong.

California voters had no such measure on their ballot this year. Protect Kids California collected about 400,000 signatures for a 2024 measure but fell short of the 546,651 required to qualify.

Sophia Lorey of the California Family Council told the California Post that the election results showed protecting girls’ sports is not a fringe position.

“Biology is not a partisan issue. Every girl who trains before dawn, gives up weekends and sacrifices to compete deserves a level playing field,” Lorey said.