AUGUSTA, Maine – Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is now accepting public comment on the draft wording of a citizen initiative backed by a Maine father known publicly as the “Maine Girls’ Dad,” whose referendum aims to restrict school sports participation and access to certain school facilities based on a student’s original birth certificate.
The proposed question is tied to a referendum effort titled “An Act to Designate School Sports Participation and Facilities by Sex.” Unless the Maine Legislature enacts the bill as written, the measure will appear on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
The draft ballot question reads:
“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?”
Under Maine law, the secretary of state is required to present proposed legislation “concisely and intelligibly” as a ballot question. Bellows’ office announced Monday that the public comment period will run for 30 days, from April 7, 2026, through 5 p.m. on May 7, 2026. The final wording must be completed by May 28.
Mainers can submit comments through the Secretary of State’s online form, by email, or by mail. Written comments by email must be sent to PublicComment.SOS@Maine.gov with the subject line “Public Comment – Referendum Question.” Mailed comments should be addressed to Secretary of State, Attn: Public Comment, 148 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0148.
The referendum would require Maine schools to designate male and female sports teams based on birth certificates. It would also restrict access to bathrooms and sports teams based on that standard and allow students to sue schools.
The issue is expected to draw major public attention as Maine continues to wrestle with the broader political and legal fight over transgender participation in girls’ sports. Current state law, including the Maine Human Rights Act, prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Maine officials have so far refused to bar transgender athletes from participating in sports based on gender identity, putting the referendum on a collision course with the state’s existing legal framework.
The ballot wording itself is also likely to become a point of controversy.
Bellows has faced criticism in the past for ballot language that opponents argued was overly complicated, slanted, or written in a way that obscured the core issue before voters. That history is likely to fuel fresh concerns from referendum supporters who believe the wording should be straightforward and clearly describe what the initiative would actually do, rather than frame it through dense legal language.
Critics have long argued that complicated ballot wording can influence public perception before voters even reach the ballot box. With a politically charged issue like girls’ sports participation at stake, supporters of the referendum are expected to closely monitor the final language to ensure it reflects the intent of the proposal.
The initiative now heads to the Legislature, where lawmakers can either enact it as written or send it to voters statewide in November.
With the public comment period now underway, the focus is not only on the policy itself but also on whether the final ballot language will be written in a way that Maine voters can easily understand before making their decision.
She is blatantly lying and misleading in the question. Needs to be challenged in court. No civil rights or education laws are changing and children can’t sue. Who does this mental midget think she is?