Mainers won't vote on anti-trans measure after it fails to qualify for November ballot

Maine’s Secretary of State announced that a trans sports ban initiative will not appear on the ballot this year. The initiative failed to qualify after legal review found signature problems tied to petition integrity and signature-gathering procedures. Staff raised concerns that some signatures should be invalidated because circulators did not follow required steps. The review invalidated 12,542 signatures, leaving 67,150 accepted signatures, which fell 140 short of the threshold needed for ballot placement. Some rejections occurred because circulators did not witness registered voters signing petition forms, and others occurred because signatures were made by someone other than the signer. The decision can be appealed within ten days.

"“Citizen initiatives are direct democracy. Just as we take voting security seriously, we take petition integrity seriously,” said Secretary of State Shenna Bellows. “Unfortunately, some out-of-state circulators failed to meet certain legal requirements for petitions, resulting in this initiative failing to qualify for the ballot after legal review. I am proud of the hard work and dedication of the Secretary of State staff who work so hard to safeguard our elections for the benefit of every Maine voter.”"

"Bellows's staff raised alarms weeks ago about signatures that should be invalidated because gatherers didn't follow the correct procedure. Ultimately, Bellows determined that 12,542 signatures were invalid. She accepted 67,150 signatures, but that left the effort 140 signatures shy of the required amount to put a ballot measure before voters."

"Some signatures were rejected because circulators failed to witness registered voters signing petition forms, while others were signed by another person, according to the state. The decision can still be appealed within ten days."

"Conservative activists in the state had proposed a ballot measure that would bar transgender students from using locker rooms or school bathrooms aligned with their gender identity and would segregate sports based on gender assigned at birth. Protect Girls Sports in Maine, the group behind the measure, said it has already filed objections to the Secretary of State's decision, according to ABC affiliate WMTW."

Read at Advocate.com