2026 election coverage: WATCH LIVE | POLL END TIME | ALL LIVE RESULTS | LIVE UPDATES | LIVE FACT CHECK
WASHINGTON (AP) — Battles over abortion rights are unfolding in multiple states as voters on Tuesday decided on 145 proposed laws and constitutional amendments, including some that could affect future election votes.
The ballot measures provide political leverage heading into high-profile midterm elections that will determine which party controls Congress, state legislatures and governor’s offices in many states.
Stand with free and independent journalism. Join PBS News Press Pass
Some of the measures provide a public test of President Donald Trump’s priorities by gauging support for his efforts to reshape congressional districts, limit transgender athletes’ participation in sports and tighten voter identification requirements.
Missouri abortion ban faces unusual rework
Two years ago, Missouri voters became the first in the nation to pass a ballot measure to lift most existing abortion bans.
Now, voters are deciding whether to repeal the 2024 Abortion Rights Amendment and replace it with a new ban — this time allowing exceptions for medical emergencies and fetal anomalies, as well as rape or incest up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. The Republican-led Legislature voted on the proposed ban. Abortion rights advocates, led by national progressive groups, spent far more money than abortion opponents in trying to defeat the bill.
Read more: What to watch for on Election Day as Trump faces questions
In three other states, ballot measures would establish abortion rights using standards similar to those in place nationwide before the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in 2022 and opens the door to state bans.
Ballot measures in Idaho and Nevada would block bans on abortion before the fetus is viable, usually considered after 21 weeks. Nevada voters have approved the measure once, but it must be approved a second time to officially take effect. In Virginia, an amendment would ensure abortion is allowed in the first two trimesters.
Redistricting measures could affect 2028 elections
Nine states are using new congressional districts in midterm elections after Trump encouraged a spate of redistricting rare in the middle of the decade.
Republican lawmakers in Missouri also passed new House districts designed to help Republicans win additional seats. But the court ruled they cannot be used unless first approved by voters in a November referendum. If passed, each constituency will be subject to elections in 2028.
Read more: 13 races to decide control of Senate
Voters in Democratic-led Maryland are deciding on a constitutional amendment that could also pave the way for new congressional districts in the 2028 elections. Democratic supporters, backed by former President Barack Obama, urged a “yes” vote to “stop Trump.”
Some Democrats also want redistricting in Colorado. But the citizen initiative on the ballot would prohibit any potential 2028 redistricting in favor of one party and would require approval by an independent commission and the state Supreme Court.
Multiple states propose transgender restrictions
Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Washington state are considering measures that would restrict transgender athletes or medical procedures. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been pushing for restrictions on transgender people, especially young people.
Most Republican-led states already ban transgender women and girls from participating in girls’ school sports teams. Citizen-led ballot initiatives have proposed similar restrictions in Democratic-led Colorado and Washington states. Arizona’s measure would extend public school sports restrictions to private schools. Nebraska’s measure would add to existing restrictions in the state constitution.
Colorado’s second ballot question would ban some transgender medical treatments for minors. Missouri’s abortion amendment would also add existing restrictions on transgender medical care to the state constitution.
Five state measures seek voter ID mandates
While Trump’s push for nationwide voter ID requirements remains stalled in Congress, citizen activists have bypassed Democratic-led state legislatures to put new voter ID requirements on the ballot in California, Colorado and Nevada.
The measures would require government-issued identification, such as a driver’s license or partial Social Security number, to vote. The Nevada amendment has been approved in 2024 but will require a second vote to take effect.
Read more: Election Day looms as early voting surges, Trump cast doubt on results
Ballot measures mentioned by Republican-led legislatures in North Carolina and Ohio would strengthen existing voter ID requirements by writing them into state constitutions.
Six states consider referendum measures
Ballot measures in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, South Dakota and West Virginia would reinforce election practices that currently restrict U.S. citizens from voting.
Critics argue the measures are largely symbolic and unnecessary because non-citizen voting is rare and already banned in federal elections. But noncitizens can vote in some local elections in California, Maryland, Vermont and the District of Columbia.
Two years ago, similar referendum amendments were approved in all eight states.
In some states, the election itself requires voting
A Massachusetts ballot measure would end separate party primaries in favor of open primaries in which the top two vote-getters from any party advance to the general election. In Alaska, voters are deciding in the second consecutive election whether to abolish open primaries and ranked-choice voting.
Proposed amendments in North and South Dakota would require 60 percent support from voters rather than a simple majority, making it more difficult to amend state constitutions. Utah has proposed a similar 60% threshold for citizen initiatives to raise taxes.
Meanwhile, an amendment in Missouri would require lawmakers to get 80% of the vote in the state House and Senate, making it harder for lawmakers to change voter-approved citizen initiatives.
Colorado amendment would help immigration enforcement
Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts could get a boost in Democratic-led Colorado under a proposed constitutional amendment that would weaken state laws limiting cooperation with federal immigration agents.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyJZyKdoOZY
The proposed amendment, voted on by conservative activists, would require law enforcement officials to notify the Department of Homeland Security when a person with illegal or undocumented immigration status is charged with a violent crime or faces new charges following a prior felony conviction.
Arizona measure would limit traffic cameras
Arizona voters are deciding on a proposal that would limit the use of traffic cameras to catch drivers who speed or run red lights. The Republican-led Legislature sent the measure to voters after Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed the camera ban.
Hobbs said the cameras could improve road safety, but opponents argue they infringe on people’s privacy and point to misuse by some law enforcement officers.
The proposal would ban new traffic camera system contracts starting in 2027 and require local governments to hold elections on whether to continue using existing systems.
Communities in about half the states, including Arizona, use cameras to enforce speed or traffic sign laws, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Associated Press writer Jeff Mulvihill contributed to this report.
A free press is the cornerstone of a healthy democracy.
Support trustworthy journalism and civil dialogue.