PORTLAND (WGME)– A ballot initiative seeking to prevent transgender students from playing girls sports in Maine may not be on the November ballot after all.

A Maine Deputy Secretary of State now says the initiative no longer has enough valid signatures.

Facing time constraints, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows initially validated 72,000 of the nearly 80,000 signatures gathered in support of the “Protect Girls Sports” ballot initiative. As a result, the Secretary of State approved the referendum for the November ballot.

But after a challenge to more of those signatures, including some with invalid dates and others that appear to be signed by the same person, a judge ordered a closer examination of the petitions. Chief Deputy Secretary of State Katherine McBrien says they’ve now found more than 4,800 additional invalid signatures.

“Because the number of valid signatures is now short of the required number by 532 signatures, I find the petition to be invalid,” McBrien said.

“It seems like this group didn’t follow the rules,” Gia Drew of Equality Maine said

Drew says there’s also evidence that some petition tables were unmanned while people were signing.

“Very obvious by the evidence that was presented that the folks who were doing this didn’t do that job,” Drew said.

At this point, the referendum is still approved for the November ballot. Bellows has yet to issue a final ruling.

Protect Girls Sports in Maine says it is now reviewing the deputy’s recommendation.

“We are continuing our defense of the Protect Girls Sports ballot measure and will be filing our objections to the recommended decision before the May 23 deadline.”

“We’re confident that the petition-gathering process was well done,” Protect Girls Sports in Maine attorney Tim Woodcock said. “And we’re confident that in the end, petition signatures that were gathered were done in sufficient number to withstand this challenge.”

At last count, only two transgender students were playing girls sports in Maine.

“There are far more pressing issues, I think, than a trans kid playing sports. I do think this is a political move by some folks to drive their base out to vote, which I think is short-sighted, narrow-minded and puts kids in harm’s way,” Drew said.

Bellows plans to hold a news conference on Tuesday, where she will announce her decision on the Protect Girls Sports in Maine referendum.

The growing season has arrived in Maine, so it’s time to grab the shovels and start planting.

“Your veggies, herbs, perennials, your annuals, kind of across the board, it’s safe to put those in at this point,” says Grace Frost, the Operations Manager for Highland Farms.

It all starts with good soil health, that’s the foundation to a thriving garden.

“Whether your soil is a little older and you need to add in kind a little refresh of compost or maybe topping off your planters with some potting soil, or topping off your raised beds. Refilling that out and refreshing it for the season before popping anything else in will help give you a good footing for that planting.”

Removing any weeds from the soil is also important.

And grace says it’s a good idea to fertilize your garden in the spring when you’re initially planting to give them a jump start into the season.

As the growing season arrives in Maine, it’s important to take the necessary steps for a successful season. (WGME)

“A lot of the synthetic fertilizers, you can overdo it with them butted and those can burn the plants if you overapply. But organic fertilizers, usually those will be the brown liquids or the slow-release are built to slowly release, and they’re a little less harsh on the plants.”

Also, adding a layer of mulch on top of your garden bed has many benefits.

“Other than the weed suppression, it also helps to keep your garden beds stay cool in the summer. So it keeps the roots of your plants from cooking in the hot, hot heat. And then it helps with moisture retention, too.”

As the growing season arrives in Maine, it’s important to take the necessary steps for a successful season. (WGME)

You’ll want to make sure your plants have enough water as well, so it’s a good idea to check the moisture in your soil often.