Colorado Props. 134 and 135: what they would change

The Colorado Secretary of State’s 2026 ballot certification lists Propositions 134 and 135 among 14 statewide measures on Colorado’s 2026 General Election ballot. The Proposition 134 Blue Book says the measure would change school-team eligibility rules, while the Proposition 135 Blue Book says the measure would prohibit certain surgeries on minors. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold certified the ballot Sept. 4.

Here’s what Proposition 134 would mean for school sports, what Proposition 135 would prohibit and when voters will decide.

What team eligibility rules would Proposition 134 set?

The Proposition 134 Blue Book says students would have to compete on teams matching their biological sex or on coeducational teams. Coeducational teams would be open to all. The measure would allow biological females to participate on a team designated for biological males if no equivalent female team is offered for that sport.

How would Proposition 134 apply across school sports?

The Proposition 134 Blue Book says the measure would apply to teams organized by schools or athletic associations, including interschool competition, intramural sports and school-sponsored after-school programs. It would cover public, charter, private and religious schools from elementary through high school, as well as public or private colleges, universities and community colleges. The measure defines athletic associations as organizations that administer extracurricular athletic competitions for schools.

The Proposition 134 Blue Book says Proposition 134 would not apply to youth sports and leagues operating separately from schools. It defines males as children or adults whose reproductive system is organized around producing sperm cells, and females as children or adults whose reproductive system is organized around producing ova, or egg cells.

The Proposition 134 Blue Book says the measure would not set a specific method for determining or demonstrating biological sex. Individual schools or school districts would determine their own verification procedures.

How would schools be held to Proposition 134?

The Proposition 134 Blue Book says the governing body of every school or district would have to adopt a policy implementing Proposition 134. The measure would prohibit a government entity, licensing or accrediting organization, or athletic association from investigating or penalizing a school for designating a team or sport for biological females only.

The Proposition 134 Blue Book says that for public K-12 schools, if a district did not follow Proposition 134, the state Commissioner of Education would first have to notify it. If the district did not respond with a good-faith attempt to comply, the commissioner would have to take corrective action.

The Proposition 134 Blue Book says Proposition 134 would not establish an enforcement mechanism for private K-12 schools, colleges and universities, or athletic associations that did not follow its requirements.

What surgeries would Proposition 135 prohibit?

The Proposition 135 Blue Book says Proposition 135 would prohibit surgery on minors to alter biological sex characteristics as treatment in response to a minor’s perception of sex or gender. The measure would not list specific prohibited procedures; whether a surgery is prohibited would depend on the reason it is performed.

The Proposition 135 Blue Book says the measure could also limit other surgeries for minors, including non-transgender minors, if treatment is interpreted as responding to the minor’s perception of sex or gender.

The Proposition 135 Blue Book says Proposition 135 would allow male circumcision and treatments for medically verifiable disorders of sex development or acquired physical or chemical abnormalities. It would prohibit state or federal money, Medicaid reimbursements and private health insurance from paying for prohibited surgeries.

When will Colorado voters decide Propositions 134 and 135?

The Colorado Secretary of State’s ballot certification says the 2026 Colorado General Election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3.

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