AUGUSTA — Following a Tuesday hearing, the state election office now has two weeks to decide whether a citizen initiative over transgender sports participation and bathroom access can move forward.
The Secretary of State’s Office took testimony from those who say they witnessed potential problems with the way signatures were gathered at polling places last fall.
At issue is whether Protect Girls Sports in Maine gathered enough valid signatures to get a question on the November 2026 ballot.
Witnesses, including those working for Planned Parenthood and the Maine People’s Alliance, said they saw Protect Girls Sports petitions left unattended. By state law, petition signatures must be witnessed.
Amy Stubbs of Saco, who works for Planned Parenthood, said she saw a petitioner leave the Protect Girls Sports table twice. On one occasion, the person was gone for 25 minutes, she said.
Stubbs also took photos, which were provided as evidence at the hearing.
Tim Woodcock, an attorney for Protect Girls Sports, asked Stubbs why she took the photos.
“Because I saw something happening that I knew wasn’t right,” she said.
He replied: “And you wanted to have evidence of what you saw. You wanted an image to substantiate what you saw, is that correct?”
He also asked her whether she could have taken more than three photos or whether she could have taken images that showed a broader view of the room.
The hearing came about because of a lawsuit claiming that circulators did not personally witness all signatures, that they submitted false oaths and affidavits and validated forged signatures, according to a lawsuit filed in Cumberland County Superior Court.
A judge recently ordered the Secretary of State’s Office to review the signatures again to determine if there are enough valid signatures to move forward.
Groups seeking to put an initiative on the ballot must submit at least 67,682 signatures. In February, Protect Girls Sports turned in what they described as a number of signatures that “far exceeded” the threshold.
A month later, the Secretary of State’s office said it found 71,033 valid signatures but also invalidated 8,659.
In legal documents, Protect Girls Sports argues that the group “expended considerable time and resources to ensure that sufficient numbers of valid signatures were gathered.”
The proposed measure requires schools to designate all sports teams as male, female or co-ed. It also requires public schools to maintain separate restrooms, locker rooms and shower rooms for girls and boys.
Supporters say the initiated bill seeks to ensure that female high school athletes have a level playing field and private spaces. Opponents say the measure is unnecessary and harmful for transgender students and would burden public schools.