Democrats across the country have repeatedly—and rightly—argued that abortion is on the ballot in November, but in five states, that statement is true in the most literal way possible.
Voters in California, Michigan, and Vermont will have the chance to amend their state constitutions to affirmatively include the right to an abortion, while Kentucky voters are being asked to amend their constitution to exclude that very same right. And in Montana, Republicans have placed a measure on the ballot designed to curtail the rights of families who experience the heartbreak of the birth of a non-viable baby. In fact, says Ballotpedia, this is the largest number of ballot measures addressing abortion in a single year, ever.
That election season began this summer in Kansas, when progressives celebrated the rejection of a GOP-backed amendment similar to the one in Kentucky by a giant 18-point margin despite the state’s deep-red hue. Activists across the country hope to see similar support for the pro-reproductive rights side in each of these states, whose measures we’ll preview below.
