Abortion appears on track to be on the ballot in another Republican state after activists say they have gathered an overwhelming number of signatures.
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, an abortion-rights group in Missouri, says it has garnered more than 380,000 signatures for a ballot measure to enshrine abortion into the state’s constitution. The group said on Friday it submitted the signatures for verification to the state secretary of state ahead of the May 5 deadline.
The proposed initiative needs roughly 172,000 verified signatures to appear on the ballot this year. If the required signatures are verified, the measure would either be put before voters during the August primary or the November general election.
The ballot measure would enshrine access to abortion through viability — roughly 24 weeks — with exceptions for the physical and mental health of the mother. Anti-abortion activists contend the vague exceptions could clear the way for unrestricted abortion.
Currently in Missouri, abortion is banned with exceptions for a medical emergency or the life of the mother. The state law went into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
When abortion has been on the ballot, the measures have largely favored abortion-rights activists — dealing Republicans losses in swing states and some deep red states. Missouri has a Senate race in 2024, but it is considered “solid Republican” by the Cook Political Report.
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Abortion will be on the ballot in Florida, where Democrats hope the matter will move the Senate and presidential races to be more competitive in a state where they have suffered significant losses.
In Arizona, Montana, and Nevada, among others, abortion may also be on the ballot for voters to enshrine into their respective state’s constitutions. Several of the states where abortion may be on the ballot are key for the presidential race or control of the Senate.