Voters backed abortion rights in several states and delivered a double dose of disapproval to President Donald Trump’s redistricting efforts. In the midterm ballot measures 2026, they decided 145 ballot questions in more than three dozen states on Tuesday.
The ballot measures provided a political undercard for a high-profile midterm election. Democrats took control of Congress and gained power in state legislatures and gubernatorial offices.
Abortion rights prevail in Missouri and Virginia
Voters defeated a proposed amendment to Missouri’s constitution that would have reimposed restrictions on most abortions. The vote essentially reaffirmed voters’ decision from two years ago, when they became the first in the nation to undo an existing abortion ban by approving an abortion-rights amendment.
The Republican-led Legislature then referred a new, less restrictive version of an abortion ban to this year’s ballot. The measure would have allowed abortions only for medical emergencies and fetal anomalies, or in cases of rape or incest up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.
In Virginia, a voter-approved measure creates a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom” in the state constitution. It ensures that abortions can occur during the first two trimesters of pregnancy.
An amendment approved in Nevada creates a fundamental right to abortion until fetal viability. Fetal viability is generally considered after 21 weeks of pregnancy.
But voters in Republican-leaning Idaho defeated a ballot measure that would have created abortion rights in state law. Current Idaho law bans abortions unless necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman, or during the first trimester in cases where rape or incest has been reported to law enforcement.
Trump redistricting efforts rejected by voters in midterm ballot measures 2026
Nine states are using new congressional districts in the midterm elections after a rare spate of mid-decade redistricting encouraged by Trump. In Missouri, Republican lawmakers last year adopted new House districts designed to help the GOP win an additional seat in the Kansas City area.
The new districts were used in the August primary. But courts subsequently ruled they could not be used again unless first approved by voters in a November referendum. Voters put an end to the new map by rejecting the redistricting legislation on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, voters in Democratic-led Maryland approved a constitutional amendment that could pave the way for new congressional districts in the 2028 election.
What is confirmed: abortion-rights advocates notched victories in Missouri, Virginia and Nevada. Voters in Idaho rejected abortion rights in state law. Missouri voters also rejected the new congressional map. Florida voters approved a major property tax break, while California and Colorado rejected a new voter ID mandate.
