In Brief:
- An abortion rights measure failed in Florida and another trailed in South Dakota. However, voters in several other states passed similar initiatives.
- Florida voters also delivered a rare defeat to supporters of marijuana legalization.
- Minimum wage increases, however, remain popular, even in a red state such as Missouri.
A proposed constitutional amendment to expand abortion rights in Florida has failed, the first of several such measures to fail since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago.
The proposal, which would have allowed abortion in Florida up to the point of “fetal viability,” fell short of the 60 percent threshold needed for constitutional amendments.
A South Dakota measure that would have established a constitutional right to abortion also appeared headed to defeat. However, abortion rights measures prevailed in Colorado Maryland, Missouri and New York.
Missouri’s proposal would overturn the state's near-total abortion ban and establish a constitutional “right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions.” The amendment was ahead with 55 percent of the vote, with about half the ballots counted.
Nebraskans faced competing abortion-related measures on Election Day. With about half the votes counted, a measure to create a constitutional right to abortion up to the point of fetal viability was leading with 56 percent of the vote. An opposing measure to restrict abortions after the first trimester was trailing.
Abortion-related measures were also up for consideration in Arizona, Montana and Nevada.
Marijuana Legalization
In another victory for Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Florida conservatives, voters in the Sunshine State also rejected a constitutional amendment that would have legalized recreational marijuana use. The measure had the support of 56 percent of voters, with counting nearly completed, but of course that was also short of the 60 percent threshold needed to pass.
DeSantis campaigned against the marijuana measure, saying public use of the drug would harm quality of life in the state. “You should be able to be on the beaches, you should be able to walk down the street, you should be able to be in public places without having this permeate everywhere,” he said.
It was a rare rebuke of marijuana legalization. Nearly half of the states, 24 in all, have legalized recreational marijuana, with a majority of Americans living in those states. Measures to legalize recreational marijuana were also on the ballot in North Dakota and South Dakota on Tuesday.
Also on Tuesday, voters weighed in on whether to make Massachusetts the third state to legalize some psychedelic drugs. The measure was trailing badlywith about a quarter of the vote counted.
Minimum Wage
It’s been over a decade since the “Fight for $15” movement to increase minimum wage got off the ground with labor strikes organized by fast-food workers. Currently, seven states and the District of Columbia have adopted minimum wages of $15 per hour or more. Voters in California, Alaska, and Missouri voted this year on proposals to adopt similar laws.
In Missouri, Proposition A would raise the minimum wage to $13.75 per hour in 2025 and $15 per hour in 2026. The measure was well ahead with about 40 percent of the vote counted.
Alaska’s Ballot Measure 1 would raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2027 and require employers to provide paid sick time to workers. Proposition 32 in California would raise the state minimum wage to $18 per hour in 2026. Results were unavailable in those Western states as of 11 p.m. Eastern time.
In general, wages have grown quickly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Adjusted for inflation, they’re now at the highest level in U.S. history.
