Abortion measures could be on the ballot in Arizona, Nebraska after organizers submit signatures

by Nathaniel Weixel - 07/03/24 3:49 PM ET

A measure guaranteeing abortion rights in Arizona could be on the ballot in November after supporters said Wednesday they submitted more than double the number of signatures required for a ballot initiative.

Meanwhile in Nebraska, two competing measures could also make it on the ballot after abortion opponents and abortion rights supporters both said they submitted enough signatures.

One measure would ban abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, while the other would protect abortion access until fetal viability, usually around 24 weeks. Abortion is currently banned after 12 weeks.

Nebraska so far is the only state that could have an anti-abortion measure on the ballot.

Abortion rights activists are working to put amendments on the ballot in as many red and purple states as possible, and Nebraska and Arizona are among the 11 states that could see ballot measures.

Arizona for Abortion Access submitted 823,685 signatures, which they said represents one out of every five Arizona voters.

Arizona is a key swing state, and having an abortion rights question on the ballot could energize Democratic voters in November.

“This is the most signatures ever gathered for a ballot measure in Arizona history, which is a testament to the broad support among Arizona voters for restoring and protecting abortion access in Arizona,” Cheryl Bruce, campaign manager of Arizona for Abortion Access, said in a statement.

Abortion is banned after 15 weeks of pregnancy in Arizona, with an exception for the life of the mother — but not rape or incest.

The state Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that an abortion ban passed in 1864 is enforceable, but a series of court orders delayed implementation until Sept. 27.

The GOP-controlled Legislature narrowly repealed the law in May after a massive nationwide backlash, but the law can only take effect 90 days after the end of the legislative session, which this year was June 15. That means the 1864 law won’t have a chance to take effect.

Over in Nebraska, voters could potentially contend with two competing abortion ballot measures in November. One coalition called Protect Our Rights, which is working to put a measure on the ballot that would enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution, announced on the social platform X that it had submitted 207,000 signatures.

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Meanwhile, the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America announced that a different coalition, Protect Women and Children, had submitted over 205,000 signatures. Its measure would codify the current 12-week ban into the state constitution.

Ballot measures in Nebraska need around 10 percent of all voters in the state, or about 123,000 valid signatures, to qualify.

Caroline Vakil contributed

Tags abortion Arizona Ballot measure Nebraska