Voters in Colorado and Washington approved ballot measures on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, to restrict student athletes to sports teams designated by their biological sex assigned at birth. The measures passed despite a broader election cycle in which Democrats reclaimed both chambers of Congress and gained control of several state legislatures. In addition to the sports restrictions, Colorado voters approved a separate measure to ban gender-affirming surgery for transgender youth.
The results occurred in two states characterized by the think tank Movement Advancement Project as having high levels of support for gender identity. In Colorado, both measures passed with approximately 52% of the vote. In Washington, the sports-related measure received broader support, with just under 57% of voters in favor. These states joined Arizona and Nebraska, which also passed similar sports restrictions during the 2026 midterms.
Supporters of the ballot initiatives stated the restrictions were necessary to protect cisgender women and girls. Critics of the measures argued they could lead to invasive genital examinations for girls seeking to participate in sports. In Missouri, a different outcome occurred as voters rejected a measure that combined a ban on gender-affirming care for youth with an attempt to repeal the state's constitutional right to abortion.
For a student athlete in these states, the day-to-day change involves a requirement to play on teams based on biological sex assigned at birth. This shift follows a 2024 Supreme Court ruling in the consolidated cases of Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. BPJ. In that decision, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that schools may determine eligibility for girls' sports based on biological sex without violating Title IX or the Equal Protection Clause. The passage of these measures reinforces a legal precedent that allows states to define sports eligibility by sex at birth rather than gender identity.
The political scale of this issue was reflected in campaign spending, with Republicans spending an estimated $183 million on television advertisements attacking transgender rights through October 25, 2026. Following the election results, advocacy groups such as the Transgender Law Center stated they will focus on holding newly elected leaders accountable for repealing policies they describe as harmful. While the specific effective dates for the new ballot measures were not reported, they typically follow the certification of election results. Future challenges may emerge in state courts or through legislative attempts to counter the new restrictions.