Employers should keep an eye on this year's Election Day results, as many states are presenting ballot measures on abortion, marijuana, minimum wage and unions.

Statewide ballot measures will be put to a vote in 37 states on Nov. 8. On Dec. 10, voters in Louisiana will decide three ballot measures, according to Ballotpedia.

Abortion

Abortion is expected to be a dominant issue on Election Day in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in June, which left it up to each state to prohibit abortion or keep it legal. The court reversed the precedent it had established in Roe v. Wade, which protected the right to abortion throughout the country for 49 years. Abortion access impacts employers and HR in myriad areas, including health benefits, paid and unpaid leave, recruiting, and retention.

Voters in California, Michigan and Vermont will decide whether to include the right to abortion in their state's constitution. In Oregon, a ballot measure, if passed, would ensure that every Oregon resident has access to cost-effective, clinically appropriate and affordable health care as a fundamental right.

"The practical effect of most of these [ballot] measures will be limited, given that California, Vermont and Oregon already provide robust protections for reproductive health care, including abortion," said Pierce Blue, an attorney with Morgan Lewis in Washington, D.C. "Michigan is the one exception. A vote against the proposed amendment could breathe new life into efforts to enforce...

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