Repro Rights Report

Another update on 2024 abortion rights ballot initiatives

Posted on June 24, 2024

Ballot initiatives to guarantee abortion rights are ALREADY ON THE BALLOT in five states so far:

Colorado

Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom is backing a measure to guarantee the right to abortion and allow insurance coverage of abortion. An initiative requires 124,238 valid signatures and the abortion rights coalition collected more than 225,000.

Florida

Floridians Protecting Freedom is leading the effort for a state constitutional right to abortion until viability. The state Supreme Court ruled in April that the state’s constitution does not protect abortion rights and, as a result, a six-week ban took effect in May. Abortion rights advocates gathered sufficient signatures and the Supreme Court ruled it will be on the November ballot.

Maryland

The state legislature put a constitutional right to abortion on the November ballot. Right to Reproductive Freedom initiative is campaigning for it.

New York

The state legislature placed an abortion rights constitutional amendment on the November ballot. It adds language to the state’s Equal Rights Amendment.

South Dakota

Dakotans for Health placed a ballot measure that would protect first-trimester abortions.

In six other states, abortion rights ballot initiatives will LIKELY MAKE IT ONTO THE BALLOT:

Arizona

Arizona for Abortion Access is gathering signatures for a ballot measure to make abortion a constitutional right. The campaign must submit 383,923 valid signatures by July 3 and the coalition has already gathered more than 500,000 so far.

Arkansas

Arkansans for Limited Government is gathering signatures that would keep the state from restricting abortion within the first 18 weeks. Current state law totally bans abortion. The group must submit 90,704 valid signatures by July 5 and probably will. However, anti-abortion forces are doxing signature gatherers in an attempt to intimidate them.

Missouri

Missourians for Constitutional Freedom is leading the effort for an abortion rights initiative. The group had to submit at least 171,592 valid signatures by May 5 and they actually submitted more than 380,000 signatures.

Montana

Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights is leading the fight for an abortion rights initiative. In April, the Montana Supreme Court approved language for the measure and the advocates had to submit 60,359 valid signatures by July 19. They turned in 117,000 signatures.

Nebraska

Protect Our Rights proposes a constitutional amendment to protect the right to abortion until fetal viability, and has until July to collect 123,000 signatures. There are two antiabortion amendments collecting signatures as well. The Republican establishment has coalesced around a more modest ban instead of the amendment which would be a total ban. It seems likely that all three will be on the ballot.

Nevada

Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom is pushing for an abortion rights constitutional amendment and the language was approved by the state Supreme Court. The campaign had to submit 102,362 valid signatures by June 26 and actually turned in more than 200,000. If it makes the ballot, the measure will have to pass a second time in 2026 to take effect.