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Nearly 40% of signature gatherers for Maine trans athlete ballot question were from out of state
Conservative donor Richard Uhlein is at it again, trying to influence our state elections:
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced Tuesday that a citizen initiative proposing limits on the rights of transgender students did not qualify for the November ballot because organizers did not gather enough valid signatures. ..
More than 100 people came from out of state to gather signatures for the ballot question effort, a Maine Monitor analysis found. Outside money, lawyers and attention have also poured in, making Maine’s referendum process a bureaucratic battleground in the national debate over transgender rights and girls’ sports.
Maine has been a flashpoint in the national furor surrounding this issue since early last year, when Gov. Janet Mills clashed with President Donald Trump over the state’s current approach under the Maine Human Rights Act to allow transgender students to participate in school sports in a way that matches their gender identity.
The girls’ sports referendum effort has featured out-of-state fingerprints from its infancy. Almost all of the funding supporting the push so far has flowed from a Midwestern billionaire. State campaign finance data shows that Richard Uihlein, a major conservative donor, gave $800,000 to support the ballot question in October 2025.
More than 100 people came from out of state to gather signatures for the ballot question effort, a Maine Monitor analysis found. Outside money, lawyers and attention have also poured in, making Maine’s referendum process a bureaucratic battleground in the national debate over transgender rights and girls’ sports.
Maine has been a flashpoint in the national furor surrounding this issue since early last year, when Gov. Janet Mills clashed with President Donald Trump over the state’s current approach under the Maine Human Rights Act to allow transgender students to participate in school sports in a way that matches their gender identity.
The girls’ sports referendum effort has featured out-of-state fingerprints from its infancy. Almost all of the funding supporting the push so far has flowed from a Midwestern billionaire. State campaign finance data shows that Richard Uihlein, a major conservative donor, gave $800,000 to support the ballot question in October 2025.
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/05/29/nearly-40-of-signature-gatherers-for-maine-trans-athlete-ballot-question-were-from-out-of-state/