Voters in more than three dozen states weighed 145 ballot questions on Tuesday, delivering a double dose of disapproval to President Donald Trump’s redistricting efforts.
asserted
Voters → weigh → efforts
Abortion-rights advocates notched victories in Missouri and Virginia.
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advocates → notch → Missouri
The ballot measures provided a political undercard for a high-profile midterm election that was determining which party controls Congress, state legislatures and gubernatorial offices in many states.
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party → provide → states
Some of the questions put Trump’s priorities to a public test.
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Some → put → test
They gauged support for his attempts to redraw congressional districts, limit transgender athletes in sports and strengthen voter identification requirements.
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They → gauge → requirements
Voters in Missouri stand by abortion rights, defeating a GOP-backed amendment to reinstate restrictions
Missouri voters have rejected a constitutional amendment that would have tightened abortion rules across most of the state.
The result on Tuesday reaffirms the choice the state's voters made two years ago, when they became the first in the nation to undo an existing abortion ban by approving an abortion-rights amendment.
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they → stand → amendment
The Republican-led Legislature had referred a new, less restrictive version of an abortion ban to this year's ballot.
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Legislature → lead → ballot
Under the measure, abortions would have been allowed only for medical emergencies and fetal anomalies, or in cases of rape or incest up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.
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abortions → allow → pregnancy
It would also have amended the constitution to prohibit certain medical procedures for transgender minors.
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It → amend → minors
Abortion-rights advocates, led by national progressive groups, heavily outspent abortion foes in a successful campaign to defeat the ballot measure.
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advocates → lead → measure
In Virginia, a separate measure creates a “ fundamental right to reproductive freedom ” in the state constitution, ensuring that abortions can occur during the first two trimesters of pregnancy.
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abortions → create → pregnancy
The amendment also creates a right to contraception and fertility care, among other things.
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amendment → create → things
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a nationwide right to abortion in 2022, voters in more than one-fifth of the states have passed ballot measures protecting abortion rights.
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voters → overturn → rights
Ballot measures in Idaho and Nevada would block bans on abortion before fetal viability, usually considered after 21 weeks.
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measures → block → weeks
Nevada voters already approved the measure once, but they must approve it a second time for it to become official.
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it → approve → measure
Missouri rejects Republican-drawn congressional map as Maryland clears path to redistrict in 2028
Voters in Missouri rejected new congressional districts drawn up to help Republicans win an extra House seat, halting a mid-decade redistricting push encouraged by Donald Trump.
Republican lawmakers in the state adopted the new House districts last year to gain an additional seat in the Kansas City area.
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lawmakers → reject → area
Opponents responded by gathering petition signatures to put the map to a public vote.
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Opponents → respond → vote
The districts were used in the August primary.
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districts → use → primary
But courts later ruled they could not be used again unless voters first approved them in a November referendum.
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voters → rule → referendum
On Tuesday, voters ended the new map by rejecting the redistricting legislation.
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voters → end → legislation
Missouri is one of nine states using new congressional districts in the midterm elections, after a rare spate of mid-decade redistricting encouraged by Trump.
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Missouri → use → Trump
In Democratic-led Maryland, voters approved a constitutional amendment that could pave the way for new congressional districts in 2028.
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that → lead → 2028
Democratic proponents, backed by former President Barack Obama, had urged a “yes” vote as a way to “stop Trump.”
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proponents → back → Trump
Some Democrats also want to redistrict in Colorado.
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Democrats → want → Colorado
Florida voters pass sweeping property tax cuts over objections from local officials
Florida homeowners are set to see a large share of their property tax bill disappear after an amendment passed on Tuesday.
Local governments could be left hunting for revenue to replace the money.
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governments → pass → money
The change was referred to the ballot during a special legislative session called by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
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change → refer → DeSantis
It stood out among the many property tax proposals put forward this year, a period in which numerous politicians floated ways to give residents relief from high costs.
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politicians → stand → costs
That exemption will triple next year for non-school taxes.
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exemption → triple → taxes
It will then rise to $250,000 in 2028.
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It → rise → 2028
Some local officials warn the measure could lead to cuts to police and fire departments, public libraries and parks.
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measure → warn → departments
Nebraska locks in transgender healthcare restrictions with approval of constitutional amendment
Nebraska has voted to write its existing restrictions on transgender medical care into the state constitution.
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Nebraska → lock → constitution
Voters approved the amendment.
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Voters → approve → amendment
Those measures target transgender athletes or medical procedures.
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measures → target → athletes
The push at the state level comes as Donald Trump's administration has been seeking restrictions affecting transgender people, with a particular focus on youth.
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administration → come → youth
Most states led by Republicans already prohibit transgender women and girls from playing on female school sports teams.
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states → lead → teams
In Colorado and Washington, both Democratic-led, citizen-led ballot initiatives propose similar restrictions.
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initiatives → lead → restrictions
California and Colorado reject voter ID proposals while Ohio voters approve stricter rules
Voter ID measures fared badly with voters in California and Colorado, while an Ohio measure passed and a North Carolina proposal was leading.
The California amendment, which was defeated, would have required voters to show a government-issued ID in person or provide the last four digits of that identification number when voting by mail.
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which → reject → mail
Most Californians cast their ballots by mail.
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Californians → cast → mail
Opponents of the amendment campaigned successfully against it by linking the measure to Trump.
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Opponents → campaign → Trump
Colorado voters also rejected a voter ID measure, which would have required people voting by mail to include the last four digits of a government-issued identification number.
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which → reject → number
…and 27 more, not listed.
The Aporia
