Signatures were submitted in Washington on Jan. 2, 2026, for two Initiatives to the Legislature that address school sports eligibility requirements based on biological sex and certain parental rights in public schools.
At least 308,911 signatures must be verified for each initiative. According to Let's Go Washington, which sponsors the initiatives, 416,201 signatures were filed for the parental rights initiative (IL26-001) and 445,187 for the sports eligibility initiative (IL26-638).
Both measures are Initiatives to the Legislature, a type of indirect initiated state statute where, if enough valid signatures are gathered, the state legislature can choose to: 1) adopt the initiative as written; 2) reject or not act on the initiative, thereby placing it on the ballot for voter approval; or 3) approve an alternative to the proposed initiative, in which case both the original proposal and the legislative alternative are placed on the ballot.
The parental rights initiative, IL26-001, would reenact an indirect initiated state statute that the legislature approved in 2024, and then partially repealed in May 2025. That law provided parents with a right to review educational materials, receive certain notifications, and opt out of sexual health education. The legislative changes removed, from the statute, the rights of parents to receive prior notification when medical services are offered to their child, except in cases of emergency medical treatment, when medical services of medications are given that could result in a financial impact on the parent or guardian, or when the school has arranged for medical treatment resulting in follow-up care after school hours.
The sports eligibility initiative, IL26-638, would prohibit biologically male students from participating in sports designated for female students and would require verification of their biological sex by a health care provider.
The signatures for both initiatives were submitted by Let's Go Washington, a political action committee (PAC) founded by Brian Heywood, a hedge fund executive and Republican donor. In 2024, the PAC gathered and submitted signatures for six measures—covering topics ranging from prohibiting the state from implementing an income tax to removing restrictions on when a police officer can engage in a vehicular pursuit—with three being approved by the state legislature and three being rejected by voters.
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