A ballot measure that would ban transgender-identifying males from female sports and spaces in Maine may not go before voters in November after a state officials said petitioners did not collect enough valid signatures.
“That’s because a state official determined that petitioners did not collect enough valid signatures, falling 500 short of the minimum required threshold to qualify for a citizen-led ballot initiative,” Maine Morning Star reported.
The article continued:
Chief Deputy Secretary of State Katherine McBrien, who presided over a hearing last week to determine signature validity, is recommending to the Maine Secretary of State’s office that more than 12,000 signatures that may have been collected improperly be invalidated, the office confirmed on Thursday.
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is expected to release a final decision on Tuesday, May 26, according to the report.
Tim Woodcock, an attorney representing the petition campaign, said they are reviewing the state’s decision.
“We are continuing our defense of the Protect Girls Sports ballot measure and will be filing our objections to the recommended decision before the May 23 deadline,” Woodcock said.
The ballot measure would go against the Maine Human Rights Act, which bans discrimination on the basis of “gender identity,” and would require sports teams and school facilities to be separated by biological sex.
The ballot measure is facing scrutiny after several challengers alleged that 7,900 signatures should be deemed invalid in court. In April, Justice Deborah Cashman ordered the Secretary of State’s Office to make an official determination, per the report. Earlier this month, McBrien and Assistant Attorney General Jon Bolton held a hearing.
The main allegations including “a pattern of negligence…with signature collectors admitting to leaving forms unattended, among other infractions,” according to the report.
McBrien ultimately found that 67,150 signatures are valid and 12,542 are invalid. The required number of signatures is 67,682.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.