How abortion measures fared on Election Day

Abortion was one of the defining issues of the 2024 election, in part because Election Day came around two and a half years after the Supreme Court returned control over abortion rights to states in a June 2022 ruling.
Ten states voted on abortion-related ballot measures on Tuesday, and abortion rights supporters came out on top in most of the contests, although only two will notably expand abortion access.
Here’s a look at 2024 ballot measures on abortion.
In Arizona, Proposition 139 passed with around 62% support. The measure provides a right to abortion before the point of fetal viability, which is around the 24th week of pregnancy.
“Arizona’s amendment will mean replacing the current law that bans abortion after the first 15 weeks of pregnancy,” The Associated Press reported.
In Missouri, voters passed Amendment 3, which establishes a “right for reproductive freedom” in the state, per NBC News.
With Amendment 3 on the books, opponents of Missouri’s current abortion ban will be able to sue to force changes to it.
“Missouri is positioned to be the first state where a vote will undo a ban on abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with an amendment that would allow lawmakers to restrict abortions only past the point of a fetus’ viability,” the AP reported.
Ballot measures aimed at protecting access to abortion passed in several states that already guarantee a right to abortion until at least the point of fetal viability.
In these states, voters were essentially voting to make current abortion laws more difficult to change in the future.
In Colorado, voters passed Amendment 79, which enshrines the right to an abortion in the state constitution. The amendment also allows public funds to be spent on abortions.
“That will clear the way for the state to potentially cover abortions under Medicaid and some state employee health insurance plans,” CNN reported.
In Maryland, nearly three-quarters of voters supported Question 1, enshrining the right to an abortion in the state constitution.
“The abortion rights amendment is a legal change that won’t make an immediate difference to abortion access in a state that already allows it,” per the AP.
In Montana, voters passed a right to abortion initiative. It won’t change current abortion policy in the state, but it will make it harder for state Republicans to restrict abortion access in the future.
In Nevada, Question 6 passed, bringing abortion rights supporters one step closer to adding abortion protections to the state constitution.
The amendment will need to pass again in 2026 in order to be added to the constitution due to state law governing amendments, per CNN.
In New York, voters supported a change to the state constitution’s equal protection clause. It will now bar discrimination on the basis of not just pregnancy, but also pregnancy access and reproductive health care.
The amendment could affect more than just abortion policy in the state.
“While proponents focused on abortion rights, opponents used the measure’s broad nature to raise concerns about transgender and parental issues,” CNN reported.
Efforts to expand abortion access failed in Florida, South Dakota and Nebraska. The three states are the first to reject ballot measures on expanding abortion access since the Supreme Court’s June 2022 abortion ruling.
In Florida, Amendment 4, which would have created a constitutional right to abortion before the point of fetal viability, failed to get enough votes.
The proposal got support from about 57% of Florida voters. It needed to cross the 60% threshold to be approved, per The Washington Post.
If Amendment 4 had passed, it would have invalidated Florida’s current ban on abortion after six weeks.
In South Dakota, Amendment G did not pass. It garnered only around 40% of the vote, per NBC News.
Amendment G would have forced changes to the state’s strict abortion ban. South Dakota currently only allows abortions in cases where an abortion is needed to save the life of the mother.
Nebraska was unique in that it was voting on dueling abortion-related measures. Initiative 439 would legalize abortion through the point of viability through a constitutional amendment, while Initiative 434 would uphold the status quo, a ban on abortion after 12 weeks.
“State officials had said that even if both measures won a majority of votes, the amendment that received more would prevail,” according to The New York Times.
The AP has determined that Initiative 434 has passed, meaning that most Nebraska voters support the state’s current abortion policy.