Progress for Communities in the States Amidst National Setbacks 

11/05/2024

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 6, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT: [email protected]

Progress for Communities in the States Amidst National Setbacks 

WASHINGTON  — In the wake of the 2024 election, many Americans across the nation are grappling with a complex landscape of results. Many states are celebrating significant ballot measure victories reflecting the power of the people and a strong commitment to community for much-needed policy reforms. While many states celebrated significant wins that promise to advance reproductive rights, economic justice, and direct democracy (to name a few) in states like New York, Missouri, and Arizona – some fell short even with the incredible grassroots efforts of our campaign partners and coalitions who faced unprecedented efforts by state officials to undermine the will of the people.

We celebrate the tireless efforts of our partners, grassroots organizers, and allies who ensured that voices were heard, and voters turned out.

Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, Executive Director, Chris Melody Fields Figueredo issued the following statement: 

“As we celebrate our partners and the ballot measures that paved the way for these victories, we must also confront the challenges that come with an extremely divided political landscape. In times when elected officials are pushing harmful agendas and mis and disinformation to purposefully confuse voters, ballot measures can be a salve and powerful tool to counter these policies and help safeguard our communities. Ballot measures can be one of the last lines of defense to push back against policies that harm our communities, especially those who have been marginalized and attacked like immigrants and trans people. As we begin to forge a way forward, ballot measures will be vital in defending against forces that seek to erode our democratic values and the progress we have made. Despite the challenges we face, the wins at the local and state level underscore the resilience and determination of our partners to protect our communities. 

We must now turn our attention to defending direct democracy and implementing the progressive initiatives that have passed. We have to remain vigilant to the ongoing attacks against the ballot initiative process in states where legislators have previously tried to curtail the ballot initiative process, where ballot measure election results were close, or where there are threats to the election certification process.

While we await more ballot measure results, we know that the journey ahead is filled with challenges and opportunities. Together, we can ensure that the will of the people is upheld.”

ELECTION  RESULTS: BISC’s Progressive Ballot Measures to Watch:

Reproductive Freedom

Prop. 139 – Right to Abortion – (AZ) PASSED: 61.7% — Arizona voters have successfully overturned the state’s 15-week abortion ban, and enshrined in their state constitution the right to an abortion up until the point of viability, with exceptions for the life and physical or mental health of the pregnant person.

  • Messaging from Arizona for Abortion Access: Arizona has overwhelmingly voted to protect abortion access! We proved, yet again, that Arizona is a state that values freedom and individual rights.

Amendment 79 – Right to Abortion and Removal of Public Funding Ban – (CO) PASSED: 61.4% — With Amendment 79’s passage, Coloradans have not only enshrined abortion rights in their constitution but also removed the state’s ban on public funding for abortion. With this victory 1.8 million Coloradans, including 60,000 education workers and 30,000 public employees, will now benefit from health insurance coverage for abortion.

  • Messaging from Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom: This is a huge win for our movement and Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom. The right to abortion is now protected in our state’s constitution and there’s no longer a ban on public health insurance covering abortion care.

Amendment 4 – Limiting Government Interference with Abortion – (FL) FAILED: 57.2% — Though the majority of Floridians did support the abortion access measure, Amendment 4 was defeated due to Florida’s 60% supermajority passage threshold. There were anti-democratic efforts spearheaded by the DeSantis administration, from using a state police force to investigate petition signers, to threatening local TV stations for airing an Amendment 4 ad. The Republican governor Ron DeSantis openly campaigned against the amendment during events organized by his office. They have also spent taxpayer money on ads against the reproductive rights amendment.

  • Messaging from Yes on 4: Despite relentless government sabotage, the state’s promotion of disinformation, and, anti-democratic attacks, Amendment 4 still received 57% of the vote. The people have spoken and have sent a clear mandate to the legislature: repeal Florida’s extreme ban.

Question 1 – Right to Reproductive Freedom – (MD) PASSED: 74.1% — Maryland voters have officially enshrined in their state constitution’s Declaration of Rights the essential freedoms to access abortion, contraception, and other reproductive health services.

  • Messaging from Yes on 1: This victory marks a powerful declaration for bodily autonomy and ensures that the essential freedoms to access abortion, contraception, and other reproductive health services are safeguarded in Maryland.

Amendment 3 – Right to Reproductive Freedom – (MO) PASSED: 51.7% — Missouri made history Tuesday night as the first state to overturn a total abortion ban following 2022’s Dobbs decision. Amendment 3 prevents the government from denying or interfering with a person’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom up until the point of fetal viability.

  • Messaging from Missourians for Constitutional Freedom: Just minutes after the Dobbs decision, Missouri was the first state in the country to enact a total ban on abortion. Tonight, we as Missourians have made history by becoming the first state to end a total abortion ban and protect reproductive freedom at the ballot box!

CI-128 – Right to Abortion – (MT) PASSED: 57.2% — Montana voters have secured abortion rights in their state constitution, a proactive victory after years of legal battles to fight anti-abortion legislation. The amendment affirms the right to make decisions about one’s pregnancy, including the right to abortion up to the point of viability.

  • Messaging from Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights: Ultimately, voters from across the political spectrum came together to protect access to abortion care, reproductive freedom, and personal privacy.

Question 6 – Reproductive Freedom Amendment – (NV) PASSED: 63.3% — Nevadans produced an overwhelmingly positive outcome on Tuesday and the state constitution will now include a right to abortion until fetal viability, or when needed to protect the life or health of a pregnant person.

  • Messaging from Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom: Nevadans have spoken. We are officially one step closer to permanently protecting the right to abortion in the Nevada Constitution. With these results, voters across party lines rejected misinformation and fear-mongering to send an unequivocal message: decisions about abortion should be made by women, their families, and their medical providers – not politicians.

Proposal 1 – Equal Rights Amendment – (NY) PASSED: 71% — In a monumental win for New Yorkers, the state constitution will now include a fundamental right to reproductive freedom and protection from government discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, disability status, sexual orientation, and more.

  • Messaging from Yes on 1: On Tuesday, New Yorkers in every corner of the state showed up in full force to pass Prop 1 by adding fundamental rights to the state constitution. Prop 1 guarantees that abortion and other reproductive healthcare are permanently protected in New York — no matter who is in office or which way the political winds blow.

Direct Democracy

Prop. 134 – Signature Distribution Requirement & Prop. 136 – Ballot Initiative Legal Challenges (AZ) FAILED: 41.9% and 37.8%  — Arizona voters rejected two attempts by legislators to attack Direct Democracy in the state. Prop. 134 would have required initiative campaigns to collect signatures in each of the state’s legislative districts while Prop. 136 would have tangled campaigns in expensive lawsuits by extending the timeframe for bad actors to challenge the constitutionality of a citizen-led initiative.

Economic Justice

Prop. 138 – Lower Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers – (AZ) FAILED: 74.6%  — An important win for tipped workers in Arizona, voters have rejected a ballot measure that would have allowed for them to be paid 25% less than minimum wage.

Prop. A – Minimum Wage Increase & Paid Sick Leave – (MO) PASSED: 57.6% — With the success of Prop. A, Missouri will gradually increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 by 2026 and workers will be able to earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.

  • Messaging from Missourians for Healthy Families & Fair Wages: We just raised the wages and brought up to 7 #PaidSickDays to over 500,000 (!!!) Missouri families, making sure all workers can care for themselves or a loved one when sick.

Prop. 436 – Paid Sick Leave – (NE) PASSED: 74% — Nebraskans overwhelmingly voted to stand with workers by passing paid sick leave in the state. An estimated 250,000 Nebraskans who currently lack paid sick days can now earn one hour of leave for every thirty hours they work — and be protected from retaliation for using it.

  • Messaging from Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans: This victory is another step forward in ensuring that every Nebraskan can meet their needs and take care of themselves and their families – and it’s all thanks to our Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans coalition partners, hundreds of volunteers, the bold voices of directly-impacted workers, 138,000+ Nebraskans who signed the petition, and the advocacy of supporters like you!

Civil Rights

Freedom to Marry (PASSED) — Voters in California and Colorado have passed constitutional amendments aimed at safeguarding the freedom to marry, and Hawai’i appears poised to do the same. The proactive, legislatively-referred measures shore up critical protections for marriage equality in light of concerns that SCOTUS could look to overturn 2015’s Obergefell decision that upheld the freedom to marry nationwide.

    • Proposition 3 (CA) PASSED: 61.1%
  • Messaging from Yes on 3: This victory is a powerful statement that love, freedom, and equality are core values for all Californians.
    • Amendment J (CO) PASSED: 63.6%
  • Messaging from Freedom to Marry Colorado: Thank you, Colorado! Amendment J has passed! All Coloradans deserve the freedom to marry the person they love.
  • Question 1 (HI) 

Democracy

Prop. 131 – Ranked-Choice Voting – (CO) Failed: 44.8%  — Colorado voters have rejected the billionaire-backed Prop. 131, which proposed a version of ranked-choice voting that would have pushed out grassroots candidates with its pay-to-play system. 

Citizen-Only Voting (PASSED) — Despite existing federal law that prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections, all eight states where such prohibitions were on the ballot have passed ballot measures restricting voting to only U.S. citizens.

    • Amendment 1 (IA) PASSED: 75.8%
    • HJR 5 (ID) PASSED: 64.9%
    • Amendment 1 (KY) PASSED: 62.4%
    • Amendment 7 (MO) PASSED: 68.5%
    • Amendment 1 (NC) PASSED: 77.6%
    • Question 834 (OK) PASSED: 80.7% 
    • Amendment 1 (SC) PASSED: 86%
  • SJR 32 (WI) PASSED: 69.8%

Education

Amendment 80 (CO) FAILED: 47.9%  — Colorado voters overcame deceptive campaign practices for a ballot measure that would enshrine school choice into the state constitution. If passed, the measure would have long-term effects on funding for public and private schools alike.

Amendment 2 (KY) FAILED: 35% — In a win for public education, Kentucky voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have allowed state lawmakers to use public taxpayer dollars to fund non-public schools.

Prop. 314 (AZ) PASSED: 62.7% — Prop. 314, an anti-immigration, legislatively-referred amendment allowing state and local police to arrest suspected noncitizens for crossing the border outside of official points of entry, has passed. The measure’s critics question its constitutionality, with a clinical immigration law professor at the University of Arizona in Tucson previously saying that Prop. 314 is “completely unconstitutional under every interpretation of the Constitution by the federal courts to date.” The amendment is likely to be challenged in court in the months to come. 

To learn more about election results and the ballot measures that BISC is tracking, head to our BISC Ballot Measure Hub + Election Tracker.

If you’re interested in speaking with BISC’s Executive Director, Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, on the ballot measure results coming in, please reach out to [email protected]

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