Askume Sep 9 – At least eight U.S. states will vote on abortion in the November 5 elections , including states that could play a key role in the presidential race and the battle for control of Congress.
ByDemocrats, led by the party’s presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running against Republican former President Donald Trump, are trying to drum up support for the measures, which they hope will energize left-wing and independent voters.
States where voters will decide whether to guarantee the right to abortion include Arizona and Nevada, which decide not only the presidential race but also high-stakes Senate races that could determine which party controls the House of Representatives.
The issue has been a key issue for Republicans since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2022 rolled back abortion rights nationwide. Anger over the decision is widely seen as limiting Republican gains in the 2022 midterm elections and boosting Democratic performance in last year’s races in Kentucky and Virginia.
Since the court’s ruling, voters have chosen to preserve or expand abortion access in all but seven statewide ballot measures, including conservative strongholds such as Ohio, Kentucky and Kansas.
Here’s a list of states that will vote on abortion on November 5 and others that may still face voting issues.
Arizona
Arizona elections officials have approved a ballot measure that would amend the state constitution to ensure the right to abortion before a fetus is viable, which is generally considered to be around 23 or 24 weeks.
Abortion Access Arizona, a coalition of reproductive rights groups supporting the initiative, submitted more than 823,000 signatures, more than double the approximately 384,000 signatures needed for the measure.
The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an effort by the anti-abortion group Arizona Right to Life to block the ballot.
In 2020, President Joe Biden defeated Trump by a slim margin to win the state, becoming the first Democrat to win the state in 24 years, and polls showed Harris and Trump once again locked in a tight race.
The race for the state Senate seat between Democrat Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake is expected to determine which party controls the chamber.
Arizona currently has a 15-week abortion ban, which Republican lawmakers voted to pass in 2022 based on a US Supreme Court ruling.
Florida
The state Supreme Court on April 1 approved a ballot measure backed by reproductive rights groups asking voters whether the state Constitution should be amended to protect abortion.
In a separate ruling, the court upheld the state’s existing 15-week abortion ban, whichA stricter limit of six weeks is also allowed to apply from 1 May.
Unlike most states, Florida’s constitutional amendment must pass with at least 60 percent of the vote, the highest threshold for support for any statewide abortion measure.
Florida, once a battleground state, has tilted Republican in recent elections, voting for Trump twice and overwhelmingly electing Governor Ron DeSantis in 2022. But Democrats believe they can turn Florida around again in November.
Nevada
State officials approved a referendum in November to amend the state constitution to protect abortion rights after a coalition of reproductive rights groups submitted enough valid signatures.
State law already provides similar protections, but adding it to the Nevada Constitution would make it much more difficult to revoke those rights. To amend the constitution, voters would have to approve the measure twice — this year and in 2026.
With Nevada expected to be a battleground in the presidential race, the Senate race between incumbent Democrat Jacky Rosen and Republican challenger Sam Brown is one of the most closely watched races in 2024.
Other States
Voters in Missouri and South Dakota, two deeply conservative states that ban nearly all forms of abortion, can also decide whether to add abortion rights to their state constitutions.
A bill addressing abortion rights in Missouri could appear on the November ballot if organizers submit enough valid signatures. However, a state judge ruled Friday that organizers did not adequately explain the bill’s impact to those who signed a petition to certify it.
Missouri Constitutional Freedom, the abortion rights group that sponsored the measure, appealed to the state Supreme Court over the weekend. The Missouri Supreme Court has until Tuesday to decide whether the measure will stay on the ballot.
South Dakota’s top elections official announced in May that his office had verified enough signatures to put the measure on the ballot. An opposition group has filed a lawsuit challenging the petition, but it is unlikely to be resolved before the election.
Nebraska voters will face two competing ballot measures. One is to add the right to abortion to the state constitution, and the other is to add the state’s current 12-week ban to the constitution, with exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.
According to state officials, even if both bills are passed, the bill with the most votes in favor will be given priority.
Montana’s secretary of state approved a ballot measure last month after advocates submitted nearly double the number of signatures needed for a June abortion rights referendum. A constitutional amendment is also on the ballot in Colorado, which needs 55% support to pass.
While both Montana and Colorado currently allow abortion, supporters say adding protections to the state constitution would ensure that lawmakers or courts cannot limit abortion rights in the future. Montana’s Republican-controlled legislature is seeking to overturn a 1999 state Supreme Court ruling that upheld abortion rights.
Although Montana doesn’t have a presidential race, this year’s Senate race is closely contested between Democratic candidate Jon Tester and Republican candidate Tim Shea.
In Arkansas, where abortion is restricted, the top elections official dismissed a petition to qualify an abortion-rights measure for the November ballot , saying organizers failed to provide required documentation. The state Supreme Court upheld the dismissal.
Lawmakers in two other states have approved abortion amendments on the November ballot: New York and Maryland. Abortion is already legal in both states; the referendums would amend the state constitutions to add more protections.
