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# Maine Conservatives Urge Secretary of State to Add ‘Fairness, Safety’ to Transgender Athlete Ballot Wording
- URL: https://www.newbostonpost.com/maine-trans-athlete-ballot-wording-fairness-safety/
- Published: 2026-04-11T16:25:27.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-11T16:25:27.000Z
- Description: Maine conservatives are urging the secretary of state to revise the wording of a proposed ballot question on transgender athletes to include fairness and safety, as legal and political disputes intensify ahead of a potential November vote.
- Author: Maine Morning Star
- Tags: News, Politics, State Government, Gender Identity, Around New England, #most-popular

by Eesha Pendharkar, [Maine Morning Star](https://mainemorningstar.com/?ref=newbostonpost.com)  
April 7, 2026

Mainers will vote on the [rights of transgender student athletes](https://mainemorningstar.com/2025/03/11/there-was-never-a-complaint-lgbtq-mainers-push-back-on-call-to-ban-trans-athletes/?ref=newbostonpost.com) to access sports teams, bathrooms and locker rooms aligning with their gender identity this November. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said the draft wording of the question makes it clear the risk at stake.

“Do you want to change civil rights and education laws to require public schools to restrict access to bathrooms and sports based on the gender on the child’s original birth certificate and allow students to sue the schools?” reads the proposed ballot question, which was released by the Maine Secretary of State’s Office Tuesday.

The question’s wording is required by law to be “clear, concise and direct, and describes the subject matter of the people’s veto or direct initiative in this case as simply as possible,” Bellows told Maine Morning Star. “My guidance when I write any question is the legal requirement … and simply describe the subject matter.”

The referendum challenges protections Maine currently has in place for trans people under the Maine Human Rights Act. 

However, proponents of the referendum have framed it as an issue of safety and fairness, saying it protects cisgender girls from playing on teams and being in private spaces with trans girls. 

“Naturally, it doesn’t reference protecting girls’ sports and spaces,” Rep. Laurel Libby [wrote on social media Tuesday](https://x.com/laurel%5Flibby/status/2041586957126369488?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2041586957126369488%7Ctwgr%5E47bc17dba59ca8a8b6665a7784ff8dc1df7df8f8%7Ctwcon%5Es1%5F&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.themainewire.com%2F2026%2F04%2Fmaine-girls-dad-referendum-ballot-question-released-as-bellows-opens-public-comment-period%2F&ref=newbostonpost.com) in response to the draft text. The Auburn Republican last year drew national attention to Maine’s transgender policies after she posted about a transgender student athlete on her legislative Facebook page, making the state a target of several federal investigations. The ballot campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

The Secretary of State’s Office is accepting public comment on the drafted ballot question for 30 days. After that, if people want to object to the final wording, which will be finalized in late May, they could file a lawsuit. (That’s what happened last year with [Question 1](https://mainemorningstar.com/2025/10/22/what-maines-political-leaders-think-about-question-1/?ref=newbostonpost.com), which sought to change absentee voting and require identification at the polls).

Meanwhile, the referendum is facing a legal challenge, with plaintiffs claiming that many of the signatures that were certified by the Secretary of State’s Office were not valid. If the court rules in their favor, then the initiative would not appear on the November ballot.

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[Maine Morning Star](https://mainemorningstar.com/?ref=newbostonpost.com) is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maine Morning Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lauren McCauley for questions: info@mainemorningstar.com.