The national map for abortion access could be about to change as voters in 10 states, with a combined population of more than 75 million people, decide whether to put protections for reproductive rights into their state constitutions.
Two states voting on the issue, Missouri and South Dakota, have near-total abortion bans that could be undone. In Florida, Nebraska and Arizona, where abortion is legal up to six, 12 and 15 weeks, respectively, voters could decide to protect abortion rights up to viability, usually about 24 weeks.
Abortion is already legal in Colorado, Maryland, Montana, New York and Nevada, but voters are weighing whether to solidify those rights in the state constitution. It's a way of defending against attempts to weaken abortion rights by lawmakers in the future.
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Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion in 2022, states have had the final say on the issue. In some places, that has meant Republican-led state legislatures banning or reducing access to abortion only to see voters go to the polls to support abortion rights.
Getting amendments on the ballot usually requires legwork, gathering tens or hundreds of thousands of signatures. And in many states there have been efforts by abortion-rights opponents to block the vote — succeeding in Arkansas. Where it has stayed on the ballot, there has been both heavy spending and grassroots campaigning.
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