Early election results indicate that Washington voters are approving a statewide ballot measure to restrict transgender girls from competing in K-12 girls' athletic programs, as Federal Way Mirror reported.
Initial ballot counts released Tuesday night, Nov. 3, 2026, show Initiative 638 leading with almost 57 percent of the overall vote. The measure represents the sole statewide ballot initiative on track to pass in this year's general election.
If final results confirm its passage, the initiative will implement new physical examination requirements for all K-12 students who wish to participate in public school girls' sports teams. Under the measure's provisions, state school athletics will require medical professionals conducting routine student physicals to evaluate and verify each athlete's sex assigned at birth.
Individual school boards and district governing bodies across the state will be responsible for drafting the specific rules that define how sex verification will be administered within their schools. According to the initiative text, local policy guidelines must incorporate one or more designated criteria, which include an evaluation of a student's reproductive anatomy, genetic composition, or naturally occurring endogenous testosterone levels.
While the mandate applies broadly to every girl seeking to play school sports across Washington state, information from the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association indicates that approximately 10 students statewide have formally disclosed being transgender to the athletic association.
The political effort behind Initiative 638 was organized by Let's Go Washington, an organization established by hedge fund manager Brian Heywood. Supporters gathered in Redmond on Tuesday night for an election watch party to track early returns. Attendees included high school students Ahnaleigh Wilson, 17, of Eastmont High School, and Frances Staudt, 17, of Tumwater High School, who spoke with media representatives during the event.
In a written statement released following the initial vote tallies, Heywood told Federal Way Mirror that the outcome demonstrates that female athletes across the state have had their voices heard by voters. He added that he hopes young female athletes in future years will remain unaware of the political campaign, expressing his view that male athletes should not compete in girls' sports categories.
Opponents of the ballot measure, organized under the campaign committee No Hate in Washington State, voiced strong criticism of the initiative and its primary financial sponsor. Campaign manager Libby Watson told Federal Way Mirror in a statement that the initiative sponsors used the ballot measure as a political distraction rather than addressing substantive public issues.
Watson characterized the initiative as an effort to target a small group of vulnerable transgender children statewide. She noted that opponents are looking forward to incoming vote returns over the subsequent days, expressing hope that late-counted ballots might still shift the outcome and reject the measure.
Prior to the election, the initiative received formal endorsements from select school governance bodies in the state. Earlier in the year, the Mead School Board voted unanimously to pass an official resolution declaring its support for Initiative 638.
Speaking on behalf of that decision, Mead School Board Director Michael Cannon told Federal Way Mirror that the board has consistently recognized biological and physiological differences that provide male athletes with competitive advantages in athletic events. Cannon stated that the principle of maintaining separate biological categories in sports has maintained long-standing majority support among the public.
With ballot counting continuing over the coming days, local school districts and governing entities across Washington will monitor final certification to determine when and how new verification policies must be drafted for local athletic programs.
