Abortion may or may not turn out to be the decisive issue in this fall’s midterms, but it’s definitely a dominant concern when it comes to ballot measures. A total of five states will be voting on abortion rights measures, both for and against. “It’s the highest number of abortion-related ballot measures ever,” says Elizabeth Nash, a state policy associate with the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights.
Over the past half-century, the bulk of abortion-related measures sought restrictions or outright bans on the procedure. In 2020, for example, Louisiana voters supported a measure making clear that there was no right to abortion under the state constitution. Colorado voters that year rejected a 22-week ban.
The equation has changed, however, with the Supreme Court’s decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade. A high-profile amendment in Kansas — with voters rejecting language that would have allowed for an abortion ban — has abortion rights supporters not only optimistic about their prospects this fall, but anticipating more ballot initiatives in years to come. “After Kansas, assumptions are shifting about what is possible on this issue,” says Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, who directs the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, a progressive advocacy group.
Over the past decade or so, ballot initiatives have primarily been a tool used by progressives, who have successfully pushed measures legalizing marijuana and raising the minimum wage in multiple states. That’s...
Kozhikode: The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) leadership on Monday stated that the party has already withdrawn its support for P V Anvar, the former Nilambur MLA and UDF-backed candidate in B...