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WASHINGTON (AP) — 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.
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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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.
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.
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. The proposed ban was placed on the ballot by the Republican-led 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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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.
Ballot measures in Idaho and Nevada would block bans on abortion before fetal viability, usually considered after 21 weeks. Nevada voters already approved the measure once but have to do so a second time for it to become official. In Virginia, an amendment would ensure abortion is allowed for the first two trimesters.
Redistricting measures could affect 2028 elections
Nine states are using new congressional districts in the midterm elections after a rare spate of mid-decade redistricting encouraged by Trump.
Missouri’s Republican lawmakers also had adopted new House districts designed to help the GOP win an additional seat. But courts ruled they cannot be used unless first approved by voters in a November referendum. If passed, the districts would take effect for the 2028 election.
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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. Democratic proponents, backed by former President Barack Obama, have urged a “yes” vote as way to “stop Trump.”
Some Democrats also want to redistrict in 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.
Transgender restrictions are proposed in several states
Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Washington are considering measures restricting transgender athletes or medical procedures. That comes as Trump’s administration has been pushing for restrictions impacting transgender people, especially youth.
Most Republican-led states already bar transgender women and girls from female school sports teams. Citizen-led ballot initiatives propose similar restrictions in the Democratic-led states of Colorado and Washington. The Arizona measure would extend public school sports restrictions to private schools. And Nebraska’s measure would add existing restrictions to the state constitution.
A second ballot question in Colorado would ban some transgender medical treatments for minors. The Missouri abortion amendment also would add existing transgender medical restrictions to the state constitution.
Five state measures seek voter ID 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.
Those measures would require government-issued identification — like driver’s licenses or partial Social Security numbers — to cast ballots. The Nevada amendment already won approval in 2024 but needs a second vote to take effect.
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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.
Six states consider citizen voting measures
Ballot measures in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, South Dakota and West Virginia would reinforce current election practices limiting voting to U.S. citizens.
Critics argue the measures are largely symbolic and unnecessary, because voting by noncitizens is rare and already forbidden in federal elections. But noncitizens are allowed to vote in some local elections in California, Maryland, Vermont and the District of Columbia.
Two years ago, similar citizen voting amendments won approval in all eight states where they appeared on 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. In Alaska, voters are deciding for the second straight election whether to scrap their system of open primaries and ranked choice voting.
Proposed amendments in North Dakota and South Dakota would make it harder to amend their state constitutions by requiring 60% approval from voters instead of a simple majority. A similar 60% threshold is proposed in Utah for citizen initiatives that raise taxes.
Meanwhile, a Missouri amendment would make it harder for lawmakers to change voter-approved citizen initiatives by requiring revisions to get an 80% vote in the state House and Senate.
Colorado amendment would aid immigration enforcement
Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts could get a boost in Democratic-led Colorado under a proposed constitutional amendment that would chip away at state laws restricting cooperation with federal immigration agents.
The proposed amendment, placed on the ballot by conservative activists, would require law enforcement officers to notify the U.S. Department of Homeland Security when someone with an illegal or unknown immigration status is charged with a violent crime or faces a new charge following a prior felony conviction.
Arizona measure would limit traffic cameras
Voters in Arizona are deciding on a proposal limiting the use of traffic cameras to catch drivers speeding or running red lights. The Republican-led Legislature referred the measure to voters after Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a ban on the cameras.
Hobbs said the cameras enhance roadway safety, but opponents contend they infringe on people’s privacy and point to instances of misuse by certain law enforcement officers.
The proposal would bar new contracts for traffic camera systems starting in 2027 and require local governments to hold elections on whether to continue existing systems.
About half the states, including Arizona, have communities that use cameras to enforce speeding or traffic signal laws, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill contributed to this report.
