Whether or not they live in a competitive congressional district, voters in many states will be deciding on statewide ballot measures with a chance to make law themselves. There are 145 statewide ballot measures on the November ballot, according to Ballotpedia, which tracks elections. In some cases the questions were put on the ballot with petition drives by citizens frustrated with the actions - or lack of action - by their state lawmakers.
In many cases, legislatures go to the voters with amendments to their state constitution. There are common themes across the country: many of the most high profile referenda are on abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, taxes, and voting. Four states have abortion on the ballot.
That comes after a flurry of ballot measures on the issue since federal protections for the procedure from Roe v. Wade were overturned by the Dobbs decision in 2022. Just two years ago, Missouri voters nullified what had been one of the strictest abortion bans in the country.
But the Republican-led legislature has put the question back on the ballot. And lawmakers crafted a single question that includes both a near-total ban on abortion and prohibitions on gender-affirming medical treatments for minors. Much of the advertising for the measure just mentions the gender-affirming care ban, which would go into the state constitution to strengthen bans already in state law.
Abortion is legal in Nevada and Virginia but voters in both states will have a chance to put those rights in the state constitution. That would make it harder for future legislatures to ban abortion. A vote in Idaho could overturn that state's near-total ban on abortion.
Rights for LGBTQ+ people have been hotly contested in the states in recent years. Several states have them on the ballot. In Vermont a proposal would amend the state constitution to include an equal protection clause that would guarantee rights for gender identity and gender expression.
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