Virginia voters approve abortion, marriage and voting rights
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Virginia voters approved three constitutional amendments Tuesday, per AP, on abortion, marriage equality and voting rights — changes that could shape the state's highest law for generations.
Why it matters: The results cement Virginia's status as an outlier in the South on abortion rights, while making protections for some of the nation's most fiercely debated rights harder for future lawmakers to undo.
- But both the marriage equality and reproductive rights amendments face separate legal challenges seeking to block certification of their results.
How we got here: The amendments cleared the Democratic-controlled General Assembly in 2025 and this year, after years of failed attempts to put marriage equality and voting rights before voters.
- Republicans blocked those two measures in 2022 after taking control of the House of Delegates.
What's next: The amendments take effect Jan. 1, 2027, per the Virginia Department of Elections.
Here's how Virginians voted on the three amendments Tuesday, according to the AP.
🏥 Reproductive rights: PASSED — 62%
Would enshrine abortion rights and reproductive health care decisions, including birth control and miscarriage management, in the state Constitution.
- Virginia is the only Southern state without an abortion ban or early gestational limit enacted since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
💍 Marriage equality: PASSED — 57%
Would remove Virginia's 2006 constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and explicitly protect same-sex and interracial marriages.
- The ban has been unenforceable since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015.
🗳️ Voting rights: PASSED — 56%
Would automatically restore voting rights after someone convicted of a felony completes their prison sentence.