OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington voters appear to be approving Initiative 638, a ballot measure that would keep students the measure defines as biologically male off girls school sports teams, according to preliminary results released Tuesday night.
About 57% of voters backed the measure in the first returns reported by the Secretary of State’s office. Washington counts mail ballots for days after the election, so more votes will be added, and the result is not final.
The initiative covers school districts and nonprofit groups that run separate boys and girls competitions. It would require any student who wants to play on a K-12 girls team to turn in paperwork from a health care provider confirming the student’s biological sex. It applies to transgender girls but not to transgender boys.
The measure is one of three put on the ballot by the conservative committee Let’s Go Washington. Washington is among the first states to send the question of transgender athletes in school sports straight to voters. Most states that have set rules on the issue did so through their legislatures.
The vote marks a turn for a state that, nearly 20 years ago, became the first to let transgender students play on teams matching their gender identity. Similar measures were also ahead in Colorado, Nebraska and Arizona.
The coalition opposing the initiative, No Hate in Washington State, said it would wait for more ballots before drawing conclusions. Legal experts expect a court challenge if the measure passes.
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