Charted: How abortion fares on state ballots
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Voters in 10 states decided on 11 abortion-related ballot measures on Election Day.
The big picture: 2024 marks the most abortion-related measures on statewide ballots in a given year and comes during the first presidential election since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
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The latest: Voters in New York, Maryland, Colorado, Missouri, Nevada and Arizona approved measures to expand or enshrine abortion access.
- Voters in Nebraska, which had to competing measures, rejected a measure to establish a right to abortion until fetal viability or later to protect the life or health of the pregnant person. The second measure, which passed, will enshrine the state's 12-week ban into its constitution.
- South Dakota voters rejected a ballot measure that would have established a constitutional right to abortion in the state using a trimester framework. It was the second state to reject an amendment this election cycle, with Florida being the first.
- Former President Trump refused to say how he voted on the Florida initiative when he cast his ballot Tuesday, but had said during his campaign that he would vote against the measure.
Zoom out: Abortion rights continue to be a winning issue for Democrats and could motivate otherwise uninspired voters to turn out. Recent polling shows abortion has passed inflation to be the top issue for women under 30.
- Reproductive rights have been a key topic throughout this election cycle, with former President Trump and Vice President Harris adopting starkly different stances and language.
- Harris has campaigned on protecting access to abortion if she's elected, while Trump waffled on the question of a national ban before settling on a leave-it-to-the-states approach.
State of play: A majority of the measures are centered around expanding abortion access.
Here's a look at what's at play:
- Arizona's ballot measure, which passed, will permit abortions up to the point of fetal viability, around 24 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion in the state is currently banned from 15 weeks.
- Colorado already allows abortion under a 2022 law but voters approved a measure to strengthen protections in the state constitution.
- Florida failed to enshrine abortion access until fetal viability in the state constitution. A six-week ban on the procedure took effect in May.
- Maryland voters approved a new article for the state constitution to guarantee the right to reproductive freedom, defined to include "the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one's own pregnancy." Abortion is currently legal in Maryland until viability.
- Missouri voters approved a measure guaranteeing a right to abortion through a constitutional amendment. The state effectively banned abortions after Roe was overturned.
- Montana voters approved a ballot measure ]to enshrine abortion rights protections into the state's constitution. Though Montana is a conservative state, abortion is legal until viability.
- Nebraska had two competing measures relating to abortion on the ballot. Abortion is currently legal in the state up to the 12th week of pregnancy.
- The Right to Abortion Initiative, 439, did not pass. It would have added an amendment to the state constitution to establish a right to abortion until fetal viability or when needed to protect the life or health of the pregnant person.
- Nebraska Initiative 434, also called the Protect Women and Children Initiative, passed and will amend the state constitution to prohibit abortions after the first trimester unless necessitated by a medical emergency or unless the pregnancy is a result of sexual assault or incest.
- New York voters approved an amendment to the state constitution to add language related to pregnancy and personal freedom. The ballot measure adds protections from future threats in a state where abortion is already legal up to 24 weeks post-fertilization.
- Nevada voters decided to protect the right to an abortion in the state constitution. The procedure is already legal in the state up until 24 weeks of pregnancy, though it can be performed later when the life of the pregnant person is at risk. Even though the measure passed, it will have to be voted on again in 2026 before it can be added to the constitution due to state law.
- South Dakota rejected a trimester framework in the state constitution for regulating abortion. The procedure is currently banned in the state, except to save the life of a pregnant person.
Go deeper: Where abortion is on the ballot in November

