�4 states move anti-trans ballot measures to voters for 2026 midterm electionhttps://www.advocate.com/politics/states/anti-trans-ballot-measures-2026#rebelltitem5 🔗Christopher Wiggins (18 March 2026)
A new phase in the fight over transgender rights is unfolding, not in legislatures, but at the ballot box.
In at least four states, voters are poised to decide measures targeting transgender people in 2026, as a coordinated wave of Republican proposals advances through citizen initiatives and legislative referrals. Some have already qualified for the ballot, while others are moving through final procedural steps after lawmakers declined to act.
Advocates say the shift reflects a strategic pivot after years of legislative battles that stalled or failed.
"This harkens back to 2004 and the playbook around marriage equality," Alana Jochum, state policy director at Advocates for Trans Equality, told The Advocate. "Our opposition [is] turning to an old playbook to try to scapegoat a small percentage of the population."
After years of introducing hundreds of anti-trans bills in state legislatures, many of which failed, groups backing these measures are increasingly turning to ballot initiatives to bypass lawmakers and appeal directly to voters.
"This is a bad-faith attempt to politicize a small segment of the population," Jochum said.
More measures could still qualify in the months ahead, potentially expanding the electoral map even further.
