PORTLAND — Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows ruled on May 26, 2026, that the 'Protect Girls Sports in Maine' initiative was ineligible for the November ballot due to insufficient valid petition signatures. The initiative, proposed by the parents’ group Protect Girls Sports in Maine, would have required public schools to restrict access to bathrooms and sports based on the gender denoted on a child’s birth certificate.

Bellows stated that more than 12,000 signatures on the petition were invalid, leaving the total at 67,150—532 short of the 67,682 required to qualify for the ballot. Katherine McBrien, a top official in Bellows’ office, had recommended rejecting 12,542 signatures following a second review prompted by a legal challenge from three Maine residents who alleged procedural violations in the signature collection process. Nearly 2,000 duplicate signatures were identified and discarded during that review.

"We take the integrity of the petitions just as seriously as we take the security of voting. It’s really important that anyone seeking to place an initiative on the ballot follow the law," Bellows said.

Leyland Streiff, principal officer of Protect Girls Sports in Maine, disagreed with the ruling. "We disagree with the secretary of state’s decision declaring the Protect Girls Sports initiative ineligible for the November ballot," Streiff said in a statement. He added that the group "is working to ensure full judicial review of the secretary’s decision with the understanding that the courts, not the secretary, should have the final word on this important matter."

Petitioners have 10 days to appeal Bellows’ decision. Even if the appeal fails, the group may attempt to qualify the initiative for a future ballot.

David Farmer, campaign manager for the Campaign for Free and Fair Schools, said the petitioners "failed to follow the rules." At least 30 states have laws or policies restricting transgender girls and women from competing in girls’ and women’s sports, though courts have blocked enforcement of some of these laws. None of these restrictions have been enacted through ballot measures, although Colorado and Washington have similar sports-related measures scheduled for the November 2026 ballot.