Washington Voters Approve Ban on Trans Girls in School Sports

Washington voters have approved Initiative 638, a ballot measure that bars transgender girls from competing on girls' school sports teams and requires athletes to submit health care provider statements verifying their "biological sex," according to The Guardian's Sam Levin, reporting Nov. 5, 2026. The measure applies to elementary, middle and high school girls' athletics.

What Does Initiative 638 Require?

Under the initiative's text, a student who wants to join a girls' sports team must first produce a statement from a health care provider confirming biological sex, per the Guardian's reporting on the measure's language. The requirement applies across three tiers of public schooling — elementary, middle and high school — making it one of the more sweeping documentation mandates among state-level sports restrictions.

Opponents of the measure have warned that the verification process could, in practice, subject girls to what they describe as "invasive and extreme" examinations to confirm sex, the Guardian reported, citing critics' objections to how the provider-statement requirement might be enforced in individual cases.

How Many Voters Backed the Measure?

Initiative 638 was passing with support from nearly 57% of voters as of Thursday morning, though ballots were still being counted, according to the Guardian. The outcome registers as notable given Washington's consistent record as a Democratic-leaning state in statewide and federal races, and the Guardian frames the result as "a major loss for LGBTQ+ rights" in that political context.

How Many Transgender Athletes Actually Compete in Washington Schools?

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, the body governing high school sports in the state, said earlier this year that it was aware of only about 10 transgender middle and high school athletes statewide, the Guardian reported. That figure sits against a backdrop of more than 200,000 students who compete in school athletics across Washington, according to the same reporting — a disparity civil rights advocates cite when arguing the policy targets a small population already facing what they call "extreme prejudice and exclusion."

Washington had allowed transgender students to play on teams matching their gender identity for nearly two decades before Tuesday's vote, per the Guardian.

How Does Washington's Vote Fit the National Pattern?

More than 25 states have adopted bans on transgender youth athletes, the Guardian reported, mostly through legislation advanced by Republican lawmakers rather than ballot initiatives. Washington's measure arrived via direct voter action instead, placing it alongside a cluster of similar initiatives decided this week: voters in Arizona and Nebraska approved comparable measures, while a Colorado ban was leading in early returns in a race the Guardian noted had not yet been called as of its report.

Supporters of such restrictions, described by the Guardian as conservative and anti-LGBTQ+ groups, say the policies protect what they call "fairness" in women's athletics. Civil rights advocates counter that the restrictions are discriminatory and unnecessary, pointing to the small number of affected students and the years Washington spent without reported disruption under its prior inclusion policy.

What Happens Next in Washington?

The Guardian's report notes vote counting was ongoing as of Thursday morning, meaning the final certified margin had not been locked in at the time of publication. The measure's passage places Washington among the states with the broadest documentation requirements tied to a sports-eligibility ban, given that it reaches elementary-age competitors in addition to middle and high schoolers — a scope the Guardian highlighted as part of what opponents call the measure's reach into younger grades.

The vote adds Washington to a list of states — now including Arizona, Nebraska and potentially Colorado pending final results — where 2026 ballot measures on transgender athletic participation were decided in a single election cycle, according to the Guardian's account of races called this week.

For readers following state-level policy fights over sports eligibility and health documentation rules, the Guardian's full report includes the initiative's vote share, the WIAA's athlete count and the specific language critics have challenged over provider-verification requirements.