Four States Vote On Abortion

What happened

Updated Nov 3, 9:56pm ET

Voters in Idaho, Nevada, Virginia and Missouri are deciding abortion ballot measures that would expand protections or restore restrictions.
Missouri’s Republican-led Legislature proposed replacing abortion rights approved in 2024 with a ban allowing exceptions for medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, rape and incest.
Idaho’s proposal would allow abortion before a fetus can survive outside the womb and in medical emergencies afterward, loosening its near-total ban.
Virginia’s proposed amendment would protect abortion during the first two trimesters and allow later restrictions with exceptions for the pregnant woman’s life and health.
Nevada’s proposed constitutional right to abortion, approved once in 2024, needs voters’ approval in a second consecutive election to take effect.

How the left told it

Left-leaning outlets generally framed the measures as a battle over abortion rights. The Boston Globe and PBS highlighted Missouri’s “unusual redo” of its 2024 protections in Associated Press coverage, while The New Republic placed ballot measures within a broader struggle over voters’ rights and power.

How the right told it

Right-leaning outlets generally emphasized opposition to expanded abortion access, particularly later in pregnancy. World News Group described three proposals as ending “protections for unborn babies”; the Washington Examiner focused on easing third-trimester restrictions, and The Federalist called Virginia’s measure “extremely permissive.”