A hearing will be held Tuesday on whether signatures for a statewide referendum involving transgender student athletes are valid.
Officials will delegate over a citizen initiative petition titled, An Act to Designate School Sports Participation and Facilities by Sex.
Three Mainers have filed a lawsuit, claiming the referendum supporters did not gather enough valid signatures to put it on the ballot, but Maine Secretary of State Shenna said the minimum threshold of valid signatures was met and deemed the petition valid.
The lawsuit claims to have found hundreds of petition signers who signed more than once, and hundreds more that lacked the required accurate date information.
The lawsuit’s backers also claim to have found dozens of signatures from people not registered to vote or without the required residence information.
They believe that’s at least 7,000 signatures that should have been declared invalid.
The case is being challenged in Maine Superior Court.
At 10 a.m. Tuesday, officials will examine claims of potential misconduct by petition circulators and questions about the validity of certain signatures.
Supporters and challengers will both have a chance to present evidence and testimony before a final decision is made by May 26.
The referendum effort aims to bar transgender student athletes from sports teams and locker rooms that don’t align with their birth sex.
The Maine Human Rights Act currently prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
If enacted, the referendum would try to enforce President Donald Trump’s interpretation of the federal Title IX law, which bars sex discrimination in schools.
