Voters in 41 states on Tuesday are considering a daunting list of ballot measures. They include guarantees of abortion rights, changes in election rules, increases in minimum wages, marijuana legalization and public funding for private schools.
Here is a rundown of some of the most important questions.
Abortion
Dobbs on the ballot: Ten states will vote on whether to add abortion-rights protections to state constitutions. Amendments are on ballots in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York and South Dakota. The votes will test whether the backlash against the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned the nationwide constitutional right to an abortion, retains its political potency. Among the states are:
Florida: Voters will be asked to allow abortions to the point of fetal viability, generally around 24 weeks of pregnancy, and later when “necessary to protect the patient’s health.” Current state law bans abortions later than six weeks after a woman’s last menstrual period. Sixty percent of voters must approve the proposal, compared with 50 percent in other states voting on abortion amendments.
Nebraska: Voters are asked to choose between two conflicting proposals. One, written by abortion rights advocates, would protect the right to abortion until fetal viability. The second, written by opponents of abortion, prohibits abortion after the first trimester of pregnancy — 13 weeks — except in cases of rape, incest or “medical emergency.”
Missouri and South Dakota: Voters in both states will be asked to decide whether to overturn near-total abortion bans. The South Dakota proposal legalizes first-trimester abortionsand restricts second-trimester abortions only if the restrictions are “reasonably related” to the mother’s health. The Missouri amendment would allow abortions to the point of fetal viability, or later if a woman’s life is endangered.
Elections
End partisan gerrymandering: Ohio voters will consider a proposal to amend the state’s Constitution, setting up an independent citizens’ commission to draw political maps.
Replace partisan primaries with open ones: In Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and South Dakota, voters will consider whether to scrap partisan primaries and replace them with primaries open to all candidates. The top two or four finishers would proceed to the general election.
Adopt (or ban) ranked choice voting: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, D.C., will consider adopting ranked choice elections in which voters rate candidates in order of their preference. Advocates say the change could help more moderate candidates with broad appeal.
Education
Voters in 41 states are considering ballot measures that also include legalizing marijuana and public funding for private schools. Read More