1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I'm asking you to publicly oppose any anti-transgender ballot measures in our state and call out the cynical strategy behind them. These initiatives aren't about protecting anyone. They're what Republican strategists openly call "ballot candy"—designed solely to drive partisan turnout in competitive races. Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo admitted at a fundraiser that he wasn't inspiring enough to motivate voters, so his campaign used a ballot measure banning trans girls from sports to boost turnout. In Nebraska, a group is pushing a sports ban despite fewer than 10 trans students participating in school sports between 2015 and 2025. Their $1.6 million war chest comes entirely from dark money tied to Senator Pete Ricketts, who faces a tight reelection. In Maine, billionaire Richard Uihlein has dumped $800,000 as the sole funder of a measure targeting trans students, even though a Trump administration lawsuit identified just three trans girls playing high school sports statewide. These measures weaponize the rights of vulnerable kids to manipulate election outcomes. Trans rights are human rights, not "ballot candy." Stand against this manufactured crisis and focus on issues that actually matter to families in our state. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/05/anti-trans-measures-ballot-candy-joe-lombardo-collins-platner/