Missouri legalizes weed, Kentucky rejects anti-abortion amendment: Key midterm ballot measures
remained a toss up Wednesday afternoon. Democrats won key Senate and governor seats, like John Fetterman flipping the Senate seat in Pennsylvania against Republican Mehmet Oz. The “red wave” of Republican strength was not rolling in as of Wednesday, despite wins such as Republican incumbent Brian Kemp’s defeat of Democrat Stacey Abrams for Georgia governor. Some highly watched races – including those in Arizona and Nevada – had yet to be called Wednesday afternoon.Control of House, Senate still up for grabs. Here’s what we know
Full election results:See results of elections in the Senate, House and every state
Abortion access votes in California, Kentucky, Michigan, Vermont
After the Supreme Court overturned its landmark Roe v. Wade decision earlier this year, abortion access became a key issue across the country. For the midterms, advocates hoped that states would protect reproductive rights.
Voters in Michigan, California and Vermont enshrined abortion rights in their state constitutions Tuesday. In Kentucky, an anti-abortion measure on the ballot was rejected by voters.
Kentucky voters reject amendment that would have ended right to an abortion. What it means for the deep-red state.
In Montana, a referendum could mean criminal charges for health care workers if they don’t take “all medically appropriate and reasonable actions to preserve the life” of an infant who is born living, including after an attempted abortion. With under 85% of estimated votes counted Wednesday afternoon, the race was too close to call.
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Voting measures in Arizona, Connecticut, Michigan, Nebraska
Voting rights were on ballot in several states for the midterms – including measures on voter identification, early voting, and rules on passing ballot initiatives.
In Connecticut, a proposed constitutional amendment to allow in-person early voting passed.
Meanwhile, Ohio voters passed an amendment that will prohibit people who are not U.S. citizens from voting in local elections. And in Nebraska, voters passed a measure that will require a valid photo ID to vote in any election.
In Arizona, voters were asked whether they should be required to provide a date of birth and voter identification number for early ballot affidavits, instead of only a signature. It was too early to call as of Wednesday night. Arizonans rejected a measure about whether the state’s legislature can change measures that voters passed if the measures are deemed unconstitutional.
approved creating a nine-day window for early voting, among other changes.
Ballots in Nevada asked voters about establishing ranked-choice voting for congressional and some state elections.
Which party will control the Senate? Here’s every seat up for grabs in the 2022 midterms
Prohibiting slavery, particularly among prisoners
Five states voted on whether to abolish slavery. {Voters in four states – Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont – passed measures to change their state constitutions to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime, according to Associated Press counts.
Meanwhile, voters in Louisiana rejected an amendment to remove language from the state’s constitution allowing for involuntary servitude in the criminal justice system.
Yes, more than 150 years ago, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution ended slavery on a national level when it was ratified in 1865. But loopholes still allow it as a punishment for people convicted of a crime.
Passing these referendums could be more than just a symbolic gesture. Criminal justice reform advocates have said they could mean higher wages for prison work, among other changes.
Maryland and Missouri legalize recreational weed; other states vote on drug policies
Marijuana appeared on ballots in multiple states this year. In Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota, voters were faced with an option to legalize recreational marijuana for people 21 and older.
Maryland and Missouri voters approved legalizing recreational marijuana for people 21 and older though constitutional amendments on Tuesday. Both states’ measures will also bring changes to criminal law and expunge many past marijuana possession convictions. In Missouri, for example, nonviolent offenses – with the exception of selling to minors or driving under the influence – will be expunged.
Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota voters rejected proposals for legalizing recreational use on Tuesday.
Colorado voters weighed in on whether the state should define certain fungi and psychedelic plants as natural medicine. The amendment would also allow personal use, possession, transportation and growth of the substances for people 21 or older. As of early Wednesday, the vote was too early to call.
DC raises minimum wage for tipped workers; Nevada, Nebraska vote on wage increases
Nevadans voted on whether to increase the minimum wage in the state to $12 per hour. Results were not in as of Wednesday. The state’s current minimum wage is between $9.50 and $10.50, depending whether a person has health insurance.
Nebraska voters approved a ballot measure that will significantly increase the state’s minimum wage, from $9 an hour to $15 by 2026.
In Washington, D.C., voters chose to raise the minimum wage for tipped employees to match the pay of non-tipped employees.
New Mexico voters make pre-K a universal right
New Mexican voters on Tuesday strongly approved a constitutional amendment set to increase permanent funding allocated for early childhood education, as well as K-12 education, by hundreds of millions of dollars.
With the measure’s success, Vox News reports that New Mexico will become the first state to guarantee a constitutional right to early childhood education like preschool and child care. Activists and legislators in support said they spent over 10 years working toward the ballot measure.
The amendment proposed allocating an additional 1.25% annually from the state’s Land Grant Permanent Fund, which already distributes 5% annually to the the New Mexico Public Education Department and 20 additional public institutions, to early childhood education and public school instruction for at-risk students..
While the amendment has received voters’ approval, it has to be approved by Congress in order to take effect. New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee economists estimated in 2021 that, if approved, using the state’s Land Grant Permanent Fund, also known as the Permanent School Fund, in this way “would potentially generate an estimated $236 million” for education in fiscal year 2023. “Of this, an estimated $140 million would be allocated specifically for early childhood education.”
Contributing: The Associated Press