A group seeking to ban males from competing in girls’ sports in Washington State says polling data shows the deep-blue state backs its initiative.
Initiative 638, a ballot measure on November ballots, would ask Washington State voters whether to ban “biologically male” athletes from competing in K-12 sports designated exclusively for females. In addition, the measure would also require a health care provider to verify a student’s biological sex before the student could participate in female-only athletics.
According to Let’s Go Washington, the group backing the initiative, 56% say they would vote for Initiative 638. Meanwhile, 24% said they would vote against it, and 20% were undecided.
Republicans strongly favored the measure, with 73% saying they would vote for it.
Interestingly, nearly half of Democrats (48%) said they would vote for I-638—a significant number in a state dominated by Democrats. And a majority of independents (52%) also said they would back the measure.
That strong showing among Democrats and Independents would clear many hurdles to passing the measure.
Describing the poll, Let’s Go Washington told KATU that it polled 7,500 likely voters. However, internal poll methodology and margin of error were not revealed.
“We believe that people are standing with us,” said Hallie Herzberg, communications director for Let’s Go Washington. “We’ve been hearing that from kind of across the board that girls deserve to have their rights and their sports protected.”
As it stands, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) allows students to compete based on their gender identity, or the gender they most consistently express, KOMO News reports.
School officials determine that identity by meeting with students to assess eligibility.