Anti-Trans Ballot Measures Across Four States

In 2026 Republican officials placed anti-trans ballot measures in Nevada, Missouri, Nebraska and Maine. Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo proposes a constitutional amendment banning trans girls and women from girls’ school sports. Missouri’s amendment ties a near-total abortion ban to a ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for gender-dysphoric minors. Nebraska seeks to constitutionalize its existing sports ban, while Maine’s initiative, funded by billionaire Richard Uihlein, would assign athletes by birth-certificate sex and limit bathroom access.

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Six trans-related measures have passed in Colorado, Maine, Missouri and Washington. Nebraska’s amendment is funded with $1.6 million from dark-money group Restore the Good Life Inc.; Maine’s initiative receives $800,000 from Richard Uihlein. A February Missouri poll shows combined abortion-and-trans-care amendment ahead by seven points, with two-thirds of likely voters favoring a ban on gender-transition treatments for minors. Fewer than ten trans students competed in Nebraska school sports from 2015-2025 and only three trans girls play in Maine high-school sports.

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Gov. Joe Lombardo called Nevada amendment a voter-mobilization tool, noting “groans in the room” as support. Nebraska Sen. Kathleen Kauth said amendment is needed to prevent future repeal of sports ban. Sen. Pete Ricketts endorsed Nebraska measure, tying it to his opposition to trans-athlete participation. In Maine, Republican Sen. Susan Collins signed petition to place initiative on ballot, while Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner called controversy an “invented culture war scare.” Maine Women’s Lobby and Rainbow Parents of Nebraska condemned measures as political distractions.

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Quentin Savwoir called the tactics “ballot candy,” saying they aim to boost Republican turnout rather than address policy. Rainbow Parents of Nebraska called Fairness for Girls amendment “another distraction.” Maine Women’s Lobby warned the initiative is a “national extremist attempt to take over Maine politics.” Critics note minimal presence of trans athletes—fewer than ten in Nebraska over a decade and three in Maine—suggesting the measures exploit a manufactured controversy.

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Proponents claim the measures protect “female private spaces,” yet NBC News and a Trump-administration lawsuit confirm three trans girls compete in Maine and fewer than ten in Nebraska. No analysis has measured the initiatives’ effect on voter turnout or the legal viability of constitutional bans on trans athletes.

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“That’s going to get people out to vote,” — Joe Lombardo, Nevada Governor

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“This is absolutely being used as ballot candy.” — Quentin Savwoir, Ballot Initiative Strategy Center

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“One of the things we always worry about when we pass a law is that it can be un-passed,” — Kathleen Kauth, Nebraska State Senator

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“invented culture war scare” — Graham Platner, Democratic Senate Candidate

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Nevada, Nebraska and Maine will vote on the amendments in November 2026, alongside competitive Senate races in Maine. Legal challenges are expected, and campaign-finance investigators are probing the dark-money contributions behind the initiatives.

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