Results for abortion-related ballot measures, 2024
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On November 5, 2024, voters decided on 11 abortion-related ballot measures—the most on record for a single year.
Ten addressed state constitutional rights to abortion. Voters approved seven of them in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New York, and Nevada, while three were defeated in Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
One, in Nebraska, to limit the timeframe for when an abortion can be performed was approved.
This page provides election results for the abortion-related ballot measures, as well as reactions, campaign finance, and historical ballot measure context. Click on the links below to find the following:
- Summaries for measures to watch
- Results for Nov. 5, 2024
- Reactions to election results
- Campaign finance for ballot measures
- Historical context
Watchlist
Ballotpedia compiled a list of 15 ballot measures and trends to watch on November 5, 2024. The following abortion-related measures were included due to their unique contexts: higher threshold for approval, presidential swing states, and competing measures.
- Florida Amendment 4: Amendment 4 was defeated. The ballot measure would have provided for a state constitutional right to abortion and was among the most-watched ballot measures, including among other abortion-related measures, for a few reasons: (1) Florida had the largest population among the states considering abortion-related measures. (2) Florida trended more Republican in recent elections. (3) Florida required a 60% vote to approve constitutional amendments, which is a higher threshold compared to other states deciding on abortion measures.
- Arizona Proposition 139 and Nevada Question 6: Of the 10 states voting on abortion-related ballot measures, the two states with the closest results in the last presidential election were in the Southwest: Arizona and Nevada. Both ballot initiatives were approved, providing for state constitutional rights to abortion. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) issued a memo saying the ballot measures guarantee "that reproductive freedom will remain a driving issue for voters this November," and that "House Republicans’ extremism will cost them in states with abortion ballot initiatives."[1] James Blair, the political director for Trump's campaign, said, "In many ways, the ballot initiatives, one could argue, are favorable to Republicans because it allows a voter to exercise their judgments on abortion policy and their state on the one hand while exercising judgment on who should serve as president [on the other]."[2]
- Nebraska Initiative 434 and Initiative 439: Voters in Nebraska decided on competing ballot measures on abortion. Initiative 434 was approved, prohibiting abortions after the first trimester in the Nebraska Constitution. Initiative 439, which would have provided for a state constitutional right to abortion, was defeated. In Nebraska, when two conflicting measures are approved, the measure with the most affirmative votes supersedes the other one at points of conflict. However, Initiative 434 was approved, and Initiative 439 was defeated.
Results
- See also: 2024 ballot measure election results
Summary
The following table summarizes the ballot measure outcomes:
| Outcome of abortion-related state ballot measures, 2024 | |||||
| Topic | Approved | Defeated | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constitutional right to abortion | 7 (70%) | 3 (30%) | |||
| Prohibit abortion after first trimester | 1 (100%) | 0 (0%) | |||
State
The following table lists the 11 abortion-related state ballot measures, including their election results.
| State | Type | Title | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AZ | Proposition 139 | Provide for a state constitutional right to abortion |
|
2,000,287 (62%) |
1,246,202 (38%) |
|
| CO | Amendment 79 | Provide for a state constitutional right to abortion and repeal provision banning the use of public funds for abortions |
|
1,921,593 (62%) |
1,179,261 (38%) |
|
| FL | Amendment 4 | Provide for a state constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability |
|
6,070,758 (57%) |
4,548,379 (43%) |
|
| MD | Question 1 | Provide for a state constitutional right to reproductive freedom, defined to include abortion |
|
2,199,319 (76%) |
692,219 (24%) |
|
| MO | Amendment 3 | Provide for a state constitutional right to reproductive freedom, defined to include abortion |
|
1,538,659 (52%) |
1,443,022 (48%) |
|
| MT | CI-128 | Provide for a state constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability |
|
345,070 (58%) |
252,300 (42%) |
|
| NE | Initiative 434 | Prohibit abortion after the first trimester, except in cases of medical emergencies or if the pregnancy is the result of sexual assault or incest |
|
509,288 (55%) |
417,624 (45%) |
|
| NE | Initiative 439 | Provide for a state constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability |
|
455,184 (49%) |
473,652 (51%) |
|
| NV | Question 6 | Provide for a state constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability |
|
905,170 (64%) |
501,232 (36%) |
|
| NY | Proposal 1 | Provide that people cannot be denied rights based on their "ethnicity, national origin, age, and disability" or "sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy" |
|
4,757,097 (62%) |
2,857,663 (38%) |
|
| SD | Constitutional Amendment G | Provide for a state constitutional right to abortion with a trimester framework for regulations |
|
176,809 (41%) |
250,136 (59%) |
Local
The following table lists two abortion-related local ballot measures, including their election results.
| Jurisdiction | State | Type | Title | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | CA | Proposition O | Enact a series of local policies about reproductive healthcare and abortion services |
|
312,914 (84%) |
60,335 (16%) |
|
| Amarillo | TX | Proposition A | Designate Amarillo as a Sanctuary City for the Unborn and enact local regulations and restrictions on abortion |
|
27,579 (41%) |
40,442 (59%) |
Reactions
Reactions to the election results from national political figures and organizations involved in abortion-related politics will be posted here. Note: You can share reactions from national figures and organizations, along with source URLs for this information, with us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
- Planned Parenthood Action Fund: "Abortion was a defining issue of the 2024 election with reproductive freedom ballot measures winning in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, and New York, where voters enshrined abortion rights in their state constitutions. Millions of Americans turned out to support abortion access and reproductive rights champions — and they will continue to do so."[3]
- Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, Executive Director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center: "I don’t want people to think just because they voted ‘yes’ to protect reproductive rights there is going to be a magic wand to restore those rights. They’re going to have to double down and fight to make sure people are going to receive the reproductive care they need and deserve."[4]
- Mini Timmaraju, the president of Reproductive Freedom for All: "We started seeing some troubling indicators that in some of these states, the ballot measures were almost creating a permission structure for some folks who were die-hard Republicans but movable on abortion to vote for the ballot measure and then justify voting for Trump."[5]
- Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America: "We celebrate the lives that will be saved with the defeat of pro-abortion ballot measures in Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota. Voters stopped the lies of Kamala Harris, George Soros, Gov. Pritzker, and the abortion industry from invading their state and removing laws that protect unborn children and women. The pro-life states of Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota have disrupted abortion activists’ track record, showing the path forward is to fight for life following the examples of Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Pete Ricketts and Rep. Dusty Johnson. ... If the playing field is evened by pro-life elected officials fighting back, life wins. Abortion activists’ lies do not prevail when Republicans devote money and messaging to the truth."[6]
- Jeanne Mancini, President of March for Life: " [March for Life] applauds the people of Florida, South Dakota and Nebraska for seeing through an onslaught of well-funded lies and rejecting the radical, destructive abortion ballot initiatives thus protecting women, families, and the unborn in the states. Through these three victories, it’s clear that when voters know the truth about dangerous and far-reaching abortion amendments appearing on their ballots, they reject them wholeheartedly."[7]
Campaign finance
- See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2024
The following table lists the statewide ballot measures, support and opposition contributions for each measure, and the post-election outcome of each measure.
Note: The PAC that supported Nebraska Initiative 434 opposed Initiative 439, and the PAC that supported Initiative 439 opposed Initiative 434
Historical context
- See also: History of abortion ballot measures
Abortion has been a topic for statewide ballot measures since the 1970s. However, in 2022, following Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a then-record number of abortion-related measures were on the ballot.
The most recent vote on an abortion-related ballot measure was Ohio Issue 1, which voters approved on November 7, 2023. Issue 1 provided a state constitutional right to "make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions," including decisions about abortion, contraception, and other reproductive matters.[8]
In 2022, there were six ballot measures addressing abortion. Measures were approved in California, Michigan, and Vermont. Measures were defeated in Kansas, Kentucky, and Montana.
From 1970 to November 2023, there were 54 abortion-related ballot measures, and 43 (80%) of these had the support of organizations that described themselves as pro-life. Voters approved 11 (26%) and rejected 32 (74%) of these 43 ballot measures. The other 11 abortion-related ballot measures had the support of organizations that described themselves as pro-choice or pro-reproductive rights. Voters approved eight (73%) and rejected three (27%).
Before Roe v. Wade in 1973, three abortion-related measures were on the ballot in Michigan, North Dakota, and Washington, and each was designed to allow abortion in its respective state.
The following table provides a scorecard on abortion-related ballot measures based on proposed policies or topics since 1970. You can view the complete list here.
| Abortion-related ballot measures by topic and outcome, 1970 - 2024 | |||||
| Topic | Total | Approved | Approved (%) | Defeated | Defeated (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campaigns described as pro-choice/pro-reproductive rights | 21 | 15 | 71.4% | 6 | 28.6% |
| Constitutional rights | 14 | 11 | 78.6% | 3 | 21.4% |
| Laws to expand abortion | 6 | 4 | 66.7% | 2 | 33.3% |
| Allow public funding[9] | 2 | 1 | 50.0% | 1 | 50.0% |
| Campaigns described as pro-life[10] | 44 | 12 | 27.3% | 32 | 72.7% |
| Constitutional interpretation | 8 | 4 | 50.0% | 4 | 50.0% |
| Personhood amendments | 6 | 0 | 0.0% | 6 | 100.0% |
| Laws to regulate abortion | 10 | 1 | 10.0% | 9 | 90.0% |
| Prohibit public funding[10] | 11 | 3 | 27.3% | 8 | 72.7% |
| Parental notification | 9 | 4 | 44.4% | 5 | 55.6% |
| Practitioner requirements | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | 2 | 100.0% |
See also
- 2024 ballot measure election results
- 2024 ballot measures
- Local ballot measure elections in 2024
- History of abortion ballot measures
- Abortion regulations by state
Footnotes
- ↑ Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, "Interested Parties Memorandum: House Republicans’ Extremism Will Cost Them in States With Abortion Ballot Initiatives," April 5, 2024
- ↑ Washington Post, "Inside the Trump campaign’s ground game," October 4, 2024
- ↑ Planned Parenthood Action Fund, "The fact remains: the majority of Americans want legal abortion," November 6, 2024
- ↑ North Dakota Monitor, "New abortion-rights measures in 7 states could trigger legal, legislative challenges," November 12, 2024
- ↑ Politico, "‘Voters just didn’t care’: The abortion-rights movement grapples with Trump’s return," November 18, 2024
- ↑ Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, "Pro-Life Movement Defeats FL, SD, NE Ballot Measures," November 6, 2024
- ↑ Catholic Review, "Data-driven campaign behind abortion ballot measure that defied national trend, strategist says," November 12, 2024
- ↑ Ohio Attorney General, "The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety," accessed February 22, 2023
- ↑ Note: Ballotpedia classified Colorado Amendment 79 (2024) as related to two topics for the purposes of this chart; the total number of campaigns described as pro-choice ballot measures is 21.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Note: Ballotpedia classified two ballot measures, Arizona Proposition 110 (1992) and Florida Amendment 6 (2012), as related to two topics for the purposes of this chart; the total number of campaigns described as pro-life ballot measures is 44.