Ballot measures limiting participation in girls’ and women’s athletics passed in Arizona and Nebraska during Tuesday’s midterm elections, strengthening existing state restrictions while similar proposals in Colorado and Washington awaited final results.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Voters in Arizona and Nebraska approved measures restricting transgender athletes from competing on female school sports teams in the Nov. 3 midterm elections, expanding existing state policies despite broader Democratic gains across the country.
Arizona voters approved Proposition 318, which establishes additional restrictions on athletic participation and access to school bathrooms and locker rooms based on biological sex. Nebraska voters passed Initiative Measure 442, placing restrictions on participation in female athletic competitions directly into the state constitution.
According to Arizona election results reported by KTAR, Proposition 318 received approximately 59% support, compared with 41% opposition, with about 83% of votes counted Wednesday morning.
In Nebraska, Initiative 442 passed with approximately 68% support, according to election results tracked by the Nebraska Examiner.
The results strengthened restrictions in two states that had already enacted legislation governing transgender participation in school athletics. The measures also reflected continuing voter interest in policies concerning competitive fairness, student privacy and the treatment of transgender students.
Arizona’s Proposition 318, formally promoted as the Protect Girls Sports in Arizona Act, requires schools and athletic associations to classify sports teams according to sex, with separate categories for boys, girls and coeducational participation.
The measure also prohibits students from using bathrooms, locker rooms, shower facilities and similar private spaces designated for the opposite biological sex, as determined by the sex recorded on their original birth certificates.
According to Arizona Capitol Times reporting, approximately 57% of voters supported the proposal in early returns, with about 1.7 million ballots counted by late Tuesday.
Arizona already had a law restricting transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports, but Proposition 318 expands the rules governing schools and athletic organizations while adding provisions concerning private facilities.
The measure was referred to voters by Republican state lawmakers after Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed similar legislation in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Supporters argued that the restrictions were necessary to preserve competitive opportunities for female athletes and protect privacy in school facilities. Opponents maintained that the rules discriminate against transgender students and could subject other children to scrutiny over their appearance or biological characteristics.
The Arizona Mirror reported that the measure also establishes potential legal consequences for schools and athletic organizations that violate its provisions, including lawsuits involving access to sports teams and private facilities.
Nebraska’s Initiative Measure 442 takes a different approach by placing sex-based athletic eligibility restrictions into the state constitution.
The amendment requires public schools, colleges and universities to designate athletic teams as male, female or coeducational. It prohibits students classified as male from participating in sports designated for females.
The requirements also extend to private educational institutions that compete against public schools.
Unlike Arizona’s measure, Nebraska’s amendment does not establish separate rules governing student bathrooms or locker rooms. It focuses on athletic participation and the classification of school sports teams.
The amendment reinforces portions of a Nebraska law enacted in 2025, making the restrictions more difficult for future state legislatures to repeal or substantially change without another constitutional amendment.
According to the Nebraska secretary of state’s election information, the proposal appeared on the ballot as the Fairness for Girls initiative.
The measure was advanced through a citizen petition campaign rather than a legislative referral. Supporters collected signatures to qualify the constitutional amendment for the statewide ballot.
Former Nebraska state Sen. Julie Slama was among the prominent supporters of the effort, arguing that female athletes should have opportunities to compete in categories separated by biological sex.
The amendment received substantial support across Nebraska, with preliminary results showing roughly two-thirds of voters approving the constitutional change.
According to Ballotpedia’s analysis of Initiative 442, the measure amends Article VII of the Nebraska Constitution and applies to school-sponsored athletic programs, including qualifying private-school competitions.
The victories came during a national election in which voters considered several measures addressing transgender participation in sports and access to medical treatments.
Colorado voters considered Proposition 134, which would require athletes participating in school and college competitions to compete in categories matching their biological sex. Washington voters considered Initiative 638, establishing restrictions on transgender participation in girls’ sports and additional eligibility verification requirements.
Neither the Colorado nor Washington measure had been definitively called in the early Wednesday results reviewed by major news organizations.
According to Fox News’ election coverage, Arizona, Nebraska, Colorado and Washington were among the states where voters directly considered restrictions on transgender athletes during the 2026 election.
In Missouri, voters rejected Amendment 3, a broader proposal that would have restricted gender-transition medical treatments for minors while also reversing abortion protections added to the state constitution in 2024. The combined provisions distinguished Missouri’s proposal from measures focused specifically on athletic eligibility.
The state-level votes occurred amid continuing national debate over federal protections for transgender students and the participation of biological males in female athletic competitions.
President Donald Trump has supported restrictions on transgender athletes participating in girls’ and women’s sports, arguing that sex-based eligibility requirements are necessary to preserve fairness and safety in competitive athletics.
Civil rights organizations and transgender advocacy groups have challenged such restrictions, arguing that they deny transgender students equal participation opportunities and may conflict with federal protections against sex discrimination.
The legal questions have produced litigation involving state athletic associations, public schools and federal education regulations, with courts examining how sex-discrimination protections apply to transgender students.
According to the Movement Advancement Project, numerous states have enacted laws or policies restricting transgender athletes from competing in school sports consistent with their gender identity.
The measures approved Tuesday also differ in their legal structure. Arizona’s Proposition 318 changes state law, while Nebraska’s Initiative 442 places its requirements in the state constitution, giving the Nebraska restrictions additional protection against repeal through ordinary legislation.
The results in Arizona and Nebraska demonstrate support for sex-based athletic eligibility requirements among voters in both states, even as election outcomes elsewhere reflected different political priorities.
With the measures approved, schools and athletic organizations in Arizona and Nebraska will be required to comply with the expanded restrictions, subject to applicable implementation provisions and any future legal challenges.
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