Despite a majority of Floridians voting in favor of a proposed constitutional amendment to expand abortion rights, the measure fell just short of the 60% of votes needed to pass. That means the state’s current six-week abortion ban will remain in effect.
57% of people voted to approve Amendment 4, which would have changed Florida’s constitution to allow abortions until viability. The state defines viability as the stage of pregnancy when the fetus can survive outside of the womb, which usually occurs around 24 weeks. The proposal would have also allowed abortions after that if a patient’s healthcare provider deemed it was necessary to protect their health.
Meanwhile, voters rejected a ballot measure that would have legalized recreational marijuana for adults at least 21 years old and allowed them to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana.
It failed to obtain the required 60% threshold at a time when the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is making moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. Florida’s Republican-dominated government has a lengthy history of opposing marijuana legalization.
And in a sign that voters may be tiring of culture war issues in the classroom, Floridians voted down a proposed change to the constitution that would have made school board races officially partisan.
Here's how Florida voted on the constitutional amendments:
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