Four States Vote Tuesday on Ballot Measures That Could Change Girls' and Women's Sports

Voters in four US states face ballot measures on Tuesday that could change who gets to compete in girls' and women's sports, and in some cases who gets to use their locker rooms. The states are Arizona, Nebraska, Washington and Colorado.

Arizona and Nebraska already have laws restricting biological males from competing in female sports. A yes vote in either state would expand or strengthen those existing restrictions.

Washington and Colorado are different. Neither currently has the statewide sex-based restrictions proposed by these measures. If voters approve them, both traditionally Democratic states would establish statewide sex-based restrictions for school sports, a significant change.

A Washington high school wrestler's Supreme Court fight could help bring such restrictions to 23 states, according to the report. At a Fairness in Girls' Sports rally in Vancouver, Washington, female athletes Frances Staudt, Bailey Andersen and Sadie Sullivan shared their stories about competing against biological males and sharing locker rooms with them.

A yes vote in Washington would prohibit students defined as biologically male from competing in girls' K-12 interscholastic sports. Girls seeking to participate would have to provide documentation from a healthcare professional verifying biological sex based on reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone levels.

As it stands, K-12 athletes in Washington can compete based on their gender identity, which allowed a boy in Camas, Washington, to switch to the girls' team mid-season earlier this year. A no vote would keep the current eligibility rules in place, without the initiative's new sex-verification requirements.

Opponents such as No Hate in Washington State argue the initiative would discriminate against transgender students and could subject girls to invasive examinations. Proponents call that argument fearmongering, saying biological sex can be verified as part of a routine sports physical and pointing to a simple cheek swab that collects DNA from inside the mouth. Polymarket put the market-implied probability of the Washington initiative passing at 64 percent at the time of writing.

A yes vote on Colorado's Proposition 134 would establish statewide sex-based participation requirements for school sports from K-12 through college. Athletes would generally compete on teams matching their biological sex, with exceptions for coed sports and for girls joining boys' teams when no equivalent girls' team exists. The measure covers public, charter and private schools, as well as colleges and universities, including interscholastic, intramural and school-sponsored club sports.

Colorado's measure defines females and males by their biological reproductive systems, but unlike Washington's it does not require a doctor's note or medical examination; schools would set their own eligibility policies, and the state education commissioner could act against districts that intentionally refuse to comply. Planned Parenthood and other opponents call it government overreach. Jennifer Sey, founder of XX-XY Athletics and chair of the campaign supporting Proposition 134, points out that 27 states already have such restrictions and says the invasive examinations opponents warn about are not happening there. Polymarket put the probability of Proposition 134 passing at 55 percent.

A yes vote on Arizona's Proposition 318 would build on the state's existing public school rules by expanding restrictions to private schools and athletic associations overseeing youth and college sports. It would also require schools and associations to restrict access to restrooms, locker rooms and other private spaces connected to athletics based on biological sex as recorded on an original birth certificate, and it would allow athletes to sue schools and associations that knowingly violate the law. Civil rights groups such as the ACLU argue it singles out transgender students and opens schools to expensive lawsuits. Supporters say it closes loopholes, protects privacy and safety, and sets consistent rules. Polymarket put its probability of passing at 82 percent.

A yes vote in Nebraska would amend the state constitution to prohibit biological males from competing in girls' and women's school sports from K-12 through college. Schools would have to designate teams as male, female or coed, with female teams reserved for biological females. It would apply to public schools and colleges, as well as private institutions whose teams compete against public schools.

Nebraska already has such a law: Governor Jim Pillen signed the Stand With Women Act in June 2025. The ballot measure would put the restrictions into the constitution, making them harder for future lawmakers to overturn. A no vote would leave the constitution unchanged and the existing law in effect. Groups such as OutNebraska and the Fairness for All campaign argue the amendment would discriminate against transgender students and is unnecessary when a law already exists. The Fairness for Girls campaign argues it would protect female athletes' safety and their chances at medals, advancement and scholarships. No Polymarket prediction was found for the Nebraska measure.