Voters Protect Abortion Rights in Three Midterm Referendums

Voters in three of four states with abortion-related ballot measures voted to protect or expand reproductive access during the 2026 midterm elections. In Virginia, voters approved a constitutional amendment establishing a "fundamental right to reproductive freedom," ensuring abortion access during the first two trimesters and protecting contraception and fertility care. The measure passed with 61.5% support based on 87% of counted votes.

In Nevada, voters approved a measure to add a fundamental right to abortion until fetal viability to the state constitution. Missouri voters defeated a Republican-led effort to reimpose restrictions on most abortions, reaffirming a previous decision to protect access after early returns showed the pro-life referendum losing.

Conversely, voters in Idaho rejected a citizen-initiated statute that would have enshrined abortion access as a statutory right. This decision maintains a state law that bans abortions except to save the life of the pregnant woman or in specific cases of rape or incest. These results occurred alongside a broader midterm election in which Democrats took control of Congress, continuing the legal shifts following the 2022 Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.