The Maine Secretary of State’s office found the transgender sports referendum short by 500 signatures, with over 12,000 deemed invalid due to misconduct by petition circulators. Chief Deputy Secretary of State Kate McBrien recommended invalidating all signatures collected by circulators who left forms unattended. Matt criticized the sweeping invalidation and suggested contacting signers to verify their intent. Over 1,400 signatures were invalidated due to technicalities, and all 61 signatures gathered by one woman were forged. Matt argued that the invalidation process was biased and aimed at derailing the referendum, benefiting the Democratic Party.