A battle over abortion rights is playing out in several states Tuesday as voters decide 145 proposed laws and constitutional amendments, including some that could affect voting for future elections.
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that → play → elections
The ballot measures provide a political undercard for a high-profile midterm election that will determine which party controls Congress, state legislatures and gubernatorial offices in many states.
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party → provide → states
Some measures put President Donald Trump’s priorities to a public test by gauging support for his attempts to reshape congressional districts, limit transgender athletes in sports and strengthen voter identification requirements.
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measures → put → requirements
Abortion ban faces an unusual redo in Missouri
Two years ago, Missouri voters became the first in the nation to pass a ballot measure undoing an existing ban on most abortions.
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voters → face → abortions
Now voters are deciding whether to repeal the 2024 abortion rights amendment and replace it with a new prohibition — this time allowing exceptions for medical emergencies and fetal anomalies, and in cases of rape or incest up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.
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voters → decide → pregnancy
The proposed ban was placed on the ballot by the Republican-led Legislature.
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ban → propose → Legislature
Abortion rights advocates, led by national progressive groups, have greatly outspent abortion foes in a bid to defeat the measure.
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advocates → lead → measure
In three other states, ballot measures would create a right to abortion using standards similar to what was in place nationally before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and opened the door to state bans.
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Court → create → bans
Ballot measures in Idaho and Nevada would block bans on abortion before fetal viability, usually considered after 21 weeks.
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measures → block → weeks
Nevada voters already approved the measure once but have to do so a second time for it to become official.
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it → approve → measure
In Virginia, an amendment would ensure abortion is allowed for the first two trimesters.
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abortion → ensure → trimesters
Redistricting measures could affect 2028 elections
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measures → affect → elections
Nine states are using new congressional districts in the midterm elections after a rare spate of mid-decade redistricting encouraged by Trump.
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states → use → Trump
Missouri’s Republican lawmakers also had adopted new House districts designed to help the GOP win an additional seat.
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GOP → adopt → seat
But courts ruled they cannot be used unless first approved by voters in a November referendum.
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they → rule → referendum
If passed, the districts would take effect for the 2028 election.
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districts → pass → election
Voters in Democratic-led Maryland are deciding on a constitutional amendment that also could pave the way for new congressional districts in the 2028 election.
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that → lead → election
Democratic proponents, backed by former President Barack Obama, have urged a “yes” vote as way to “stop Trump.”
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proponents → back → Trump
Some Democrats also want to redistrict in Colorado.
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Democrats → want → Colorado
But a citizen initiative on the ballot would prohibit any potential 2028 redistricting from favoring one political party and require approval from both an independent commission and the state Supreme Court.
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initiative → prohibit → commission
Transgender restrictions are proposed in several states
Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Washington are considering measures restricting transgender athletes or medical procedures.
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Voters → propose → athletes
That comes as Trump’s administration has been pushing for restrictions impacting transgender people, especially youth.
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administration → come → people
Most Republican-led states already bar transgender women and girls from female school sports teams.
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states → lead → teams
Citizen-led ballot initiatives propose similar restrictions in the Democratic-led states of Colorado and Washington.
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initiatives → lead → Colorado
The Arizona measure would extend public school sports restrictions to private schools.
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measure → extend → schools
And Nebraska’s measure would add existing restrictions to the state constitution.
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measure → add → constitution
A second ballot question in Colorado would ban some transgender medical treatments for minors.
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question → ban → minors
The Missouri abortion amendment also would add existing transgender medical restrictions to the state constitution.
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amendment → add → constitution
Five state measures seek voter ID mandates
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measures → seek → mandates
Though Trump’s push for nationwide voter ID mandates remains stalled in Congress, citizen activists bypassed Democratic-led state legislatures to place new voter ID requirements on the ballot in California, Colorado and Nevada.
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activists → remain → California
Those measures would require government-issued identification — like driver’s licenses or partial Social Security numbers — to cast ballots.
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identification → require → ballots
The Nevada amendment already won approval in 2024 but needs a second vote to take effect.
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amendment → win → effect
Measures referred to the ballot by Republican-led legislatures in North Carolina and Ohio would enhance existing voter ID requirements by placing them in the state constitution.
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Measures → refer → constitution
Six states consider citizen voting measures
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states → consider → measures
Ballot measures in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, South Dakota and West Virginia would reinforce current election practices limiting voting to U.S. citizens.
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measures → reinforce → citizens
Critics argue the measures are largely symbolic and unnecessary, because voting by noncitizens is rare and already forbidden in federal elections.
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voting → argue → elections
But noncitizens are allowed to vote in some local elections in California, Maryland, Vermont and the District of Columbia.
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noncitizens → allow → Columbia
Two years ago, similar citizen voting amendments won approval in all eight states where they appeared on ballots.
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they → win → ballots
Elections themselves are up for a vote in some states
A Massachusetts ballot measure would end separate party primaries in favor of open primaries where the top two vote recipients of any party advance to the general election.
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recipients → end → election
In Alaska, voters are deciding for the second straight election whether to scrap their system of open primaries and ranked choice voting.
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voters → decide → primaries
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
