AUGUSTA, MAINE – Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced the final wording of a referendum question.
If the citizens’ initiative question entitled “An Act to Designate School Sports Participation and Facilities by Sex” appears on the November 3, 2026, ballot, the question will be:
“Do you want to change civil rights and education laws to require public schools to restrict access to bathrooms, other private spaces, and sports, based on the sex on every child’s original birth certificate, and allow students to sue the schools?”
On May 26, Secretary Bellows accepted the recommendation of her staff which found that on the 8,067 petition forms filed with the Secretary of State, 67,150 signatures are valid, and 12,542 signatures are invalid. Because the number of signatures required to determine the petition to be valid is 67,682, the petition was found to be invalid. That decision is final, pending appeal. Because of the possibility of appeal, the Office of Secretary of State announced the final wording of the question today should it appear on the ballot in November, as is required by Maine Statute.
Secretary Bellows accepted comments on the proposed ballot question during a 30-day public comment period from April 7 through May 7, and these comments were taken into consideration to draft the final language of the ballot question. The full text of the proposed bill is available for viewing on the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions’ Citizen Initiatives webpage, along with proponent information.
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