Abortion ballot measure wins in Colorado

Driving the news: Amendment 79, the abortion rights measure, received 61% support, according to preliminary results from the Secretary of State's Office.

• As a constitutional question, it needed 55% to win.

How it works: The language provides for unfettered access to abortion and repeals the current constitutional ban on using taxpayer dollars to cover the services, which voters approved in 1984.

• Now, public school and state government employees and those on Medicaid — an estimated total of 1.8 million residents — can use insurance to cover abortion services.

The big picture: Abortion measures are on the ballot in 10 states in the 2024 election, and advocates significantly outspent opponents nationwide.

By the numbers: In Colorado, the pro-campaign raised $9 million, and its advocates spent millions more to persuade voters to pass the measure.

Go deeper: Charted: How abortion fares on state ballots