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During Tuesday’s election, voters in 41 states considered ballot measures, most of which would amend their state constitutions on issues such as abortion, marijuana and changes to their election processes.
Las measures put to vote They give citizens a direct way to influence the politics and legal framework in their states. They can also provide a more detailed view of voters’ public policy preferences than the results of presidential or congressional races offer.
Below is a summary of how the most notable electoral measures.
Seven states vote in favor of abortion rights.
The electorate in 10 states considered the abortion-related amendments. Missouri became the first state to undo a strict abortion ban: its amendment will allow abortion up to viability, which is generally around 23 weeks. Abortion in Arizona was legal until 15 weeksbut now their new amendment will protect access until viability.
Proposed amendments in Florida and South Dakota failed, and bans remain in place there. The results for Friday morning indicated that the amendment proposed in Florida received 57 percent of the vote, but the constitutional amendments in Florida they require 60 percent of the vote to be approved.
Voters in Nebraska approved a measure that would change the state constitution to prohibit abortion after 12 weeks — the same limit in current state law — with some exceptions. A rival measure that would have protected the right to abortion until viability failed.
Colorado, Montana, Maryland and New York passed measures to strengthen the already existing right to abortion in those states by incorporating that right into their respective state constitutions. Voters in Nevada approved a similar measure, but state law requires voters to approve constitutional amendments in consecutive elections, so the measure will have to be approved again in 2026 to take effect.
Eight states add to their constitutions texts that “only” citizens can vote.
The electorate in eight states considered referendums to their state constitutions with texts that say that “only” citizens can vote in their elections. The measures were approved in all eight states: Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin. In each state, the proposals received considerable support of more than 60 percent.
It is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal and state elections. The election experts They say that such initiatives mostly seek to spread the false narrative that non-citizen voting is a current problem, in order to sow doubts about the security of US elections. Conspiracy theories that non-citizens vote illegally in elections have been repeatedly debunked in numbers with some impact. In some states, these measures could prevent local governments from allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections, as some do. few cities.
Most changes to electoral processes failed.
The electoral measures that sought nonpartisan primaries or the ranked choice votingor both, were very unpopular, with proposals failing in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and South Dakota. A proposal rival in Arizona that would have changed the state constitution to require partisan primaries — the system the state currently employs — also failure.
A proposal to ban nonpartisan primaries and ranked-choice voting, however, passed in Missouri. Likewise, by Thursday night, citizens in Alaska were on their way to revoke those voting systems, just four years after they were approved by voters in that state.
Sin embargo, Washington DC approved ranked-choice voting and will allow voters who are not registered with any party to vote in the primaries. Connecticut is going to change its constitution to allow absentee voting without the need to present an excuse. Snowfall approved a measure to require everyone who votes in person to show identification, and for voters who cast their ballot by mail to include the last four digits of an identification number. Like the abortion amendment in that state, the measure will go before voters again in 2026.
Voters in Ohio they chose not to establish an independent, citizen-led redistricting process that sought to replace the current politically-driven system for drawing congressional and legislative maps. (The Brennan Center supported the proposal.)
The results were mixed regarding measures on minimum wage and workers’ rights.
By Friday morning, the proposal in California that would eventually increase the minimum wage to $18 was directed to fail, while voters in Missouri they approved so much increasing the minimum wage to $15 as well as paid sick leave. Nebraska and Alaska too aprobaron measures that allow paid absences.
Massachusetts allowed that drivers of ride-sharing services, such as Uber or Lyft contractors, unionize. The state too rejection gradually increase the amount employers must pay tipped workers.
Voters overwhelmingly voted to increase criminal penalties.
Nevada approved to remove from its constitution texts that allow the involuntary servitude as a criminal punishment, becoming the eighth state in making this change since 2018. A similar measure in California is on the way to failure.
Voters in California approved a proposal to increase penalties for repeated robberies and certain drug-related crimes, while Arizona voted for anyone convicted of sex trafficking of minors to receive a life sentence. Voters in Arizona too aprobaron include a $20 fee as part of any criminal conviction. The money raised will be used to pay benefits to the families of soldiers who died doing their job during a criminal act.
It was unpopular school choicethe publicly funded private school option.
Measures in Colorado, Kentucky and Nebraska on whether public funds can be allocated for private schools, a policy generally known as school choicewere unpopular with voters. The proposal in Colorado would have established that every boy or girl from kindergarten through high school has the right to school choice. Almost 65 percent of voters in Kentucky They rejected a measure that would have allowed their legislature to allocate state funds to students outside of public schools. And the residents of Nebraska voted to revoke authorizations for a program that offered school scholarships for use by students attending private institutions.
Voters revoked texts that discriminate against people in same-sex relationships.
The voters in California, Colorado y Hawaii approved to remove currently inoperative texts from their constitutions that limit the availability of the same-sex marriage. Those who promoted the measures are concerned that the United States Supreme Court will overturn its 2015 decision in the case Obergefell v. Hodgeswhich recognizes the federal constitutional right to equal marriage.
Measures that make it difficult to change state constitutions failed.
Measures put to a legislative vote were defeated in Arizona and North Dakota that would have made more difficult in the future that proposed amendments reach voters’ ballots.
Arizona’s measure would have allowed a person to challenge the proposed initiatives before their final approval, and sought to add more obstacles in the signature collection process, by requiring that the goal of signatures to be collected be designated by legislative district, and not by state collection.
Voters in North Dakota they said no to increase signature collection requirements to get initiatives on the ballot and require them to be approved twice, first in the primaries and then in the general election.
Voters did not approve the legalization of recreational drug use.
Voters in Massachusetts they chose for rejecting a measure that would have legalized some psychedelic substances.
An initiative that would have legalized the recreational use of marijuana in Florida received 56 percent of the vote, falling short of obtaining the 60 percent necessary to be approved. Similar initiatives in North Dakota y Dakota del Sur They failed to receive the necessary plurality of votes in those states.
Meanwhile, two measures to legalize and regularize medical marijuana in Nebraska were approved.
Proposals regarding the judiciary had varied results.
Residents in Arizona Votoron against eliminating term limits for Supreme Court justices, while voters in New Hampshire they seem having approved an increase in the mandatory retirement age from 70 to 75 years. Voters in Colorado aprobaron establish a new board to address judicial ethics processes.
direct democracy ability that citizens have to enact laws or constitutional amendments through popular vote or to reject recently enacted legislation through referendum—gives the American people a voice in state and local policies. But after the measures are approved, it is in the hands of state courts how to interpret them. The real impact of this year’s measures will be clearer in the coming years as the courts determine the scope of any new rights.
Erin Geiger Smith is a writer and editor at the Brennan Center for Justice.
Sarah Kessler is an advisor to the State Court Report.
Zoe Merriman is production coordinator for the State Court Report.
Translation of Laura Gómez
– Did you know that some states held elections this week?
– Which ballot measures were discussed in the article?
– Were voters in favor or against changing the process for initiatives on the ballot?
– How did voters feel about legalizing recreational drug use?
- What were the results of the measures regarding the judiciary?
– Do you think direct democracy is an effective form of governing? Why or why not?
– What role do state courts play in interpreting ballot measures?
– Do you think it’s important for states to have the power to override decisions made by the federal government through ballot initiatives? Why or why not?
