Abortion rights: How states voted on ballot initiatives
Voters in Missouri have overturned their state's near-total abortion ban, while similar ballot measures in Florida and South Dakota failed to secure enough votes, keeping abortion restrictions in place. Nebraska voters chose to back the state's 12-week abortion ban. Meanwhile, voters in Colorado, Maryland, New York, Nevada, Arizona and Montana have voted to strengthen existing abortion rights.
Here are the results:
: In a dramatic shift, Missouri voters have approved a measure to legalize abortion up to the point of viability, around 24 weeks of pregnancy. Missouri was the first state to ban abortion after Roe v. Wade was overturned, a ban that did not include an exception for rape or incest. "I think that was just a bridge too far, even for a state that voted for Donald Trump by a wide margin," says Jason Rosenbaum of St. Louis Public Radio. Read more .
South Dakota: Like Missouri, South Dakota has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country, with no exception for health, rape or incest. That remains the case. A ballot proposal in South Dakota would have allowed abortions in the first trimester, but progressively restricted them as a pregnancy progressed. Lee Strubinger of South Dakota Public Broadcasting notes that anti-abortion groups called the proposal "too extreme," but local Planned Parenthood groups didn't support the ballot measure, either. It failed to pass. Read more .
Florida: A similar ballot measure in Florida also failed. The state currently bans abortion after 6 weeks, a very narrow window of time . The ballot initiative presented to voters would have amended the state constitution to allow abortion up to the point of fetal viability. It required 60 percent approval to pass — a high bar. It fell short, with 57% of voters backing it: a majority, but not big enough to change the state's laws. Read more .
New York: Abortion is legal in the state, and voters have now passed an amendment that bans discrimination due to "sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy." Read more .
Maryland: Abortion, already legal in Maryland, now is constitutionally protected. Read more .
Colorado: "Colorado is already a regional hub for abortion access," Colorado Public Radio's Bente Birkeland reports. The amendment approved by voters would codify current legal protections and also allow the state to provide public funding, like Medicaid and state employee health insurance coverage, for abortions. Read more .
Nevada: Nevada state law protects the right to an abortion for the first 24 weeks. Voters have now approved a constitutional amendment to codify that right into the constitution. But it won't go into effect unless voters approve the ballot initiative in 2026. Read more .
Arizona: Voters approved a ballot measure that enshrines abortion rights in the state constitution, undoing a law banning abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy that the state had enforced since 2022. Now, the state constitution will be amended to guarantee abortions access up to the point of fetal viability. Read more .
Nebraska: Voters chose to back the state's 12-week abortion ban over a competing proposal to allow abortion until fetal viability. The ballot measure banning abortions in the second and third trimesters, with some exceptions, is bound for the state constitution. It also allows lawmakers to further restrict abortion access. It was the only state where voters faced two competing proposals. Read more .
Montana: Voters approved a ballot initiative that solidified existing abortion rights into its state constitution. Under the new amendment, the Montana Constitution will explicitly prohibit the government from burdening the right to abortion before fetal viability.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion in 2022, states have had the final say on the issue. In some places, that has meant Republican-led state legislatures banning or reducing access to abortion only to see voters go to the polls to support abortion rights.
