How did the U.S. vote down the ballot in midterms? Millions weighed in on a range of measures from recreational drugs, to abortion rights, to sports betting, and the climate crisis.
In Maryland, voters approved a constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana for adults over 21. It joins 20 other states with similar laws. It paves the way for Maryland’s state legislators to establish a legal industry.
Voters in four other states (Arkansas, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota) were also asked to consider new marijuana measures.
Results have been mixed. Recreational marijuana measures were rejected in Arkansas and North Dakota. Elsewhere, another ballot measure in Colorado, would, if passed, decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms.
Voters also weighed up measures on abortion access. California and Vermont voted to protect abortion rights in their state constitutions. In Michigan, voters approved a measure affirming the right to make personal reproductive decisions without government interference.
And California rejected a ballot measure that would have raised taxes on the state’s richest residents. This was an attempt to address global heating by helping put more electric cars on the road.
So what was approved or rejected? And what can we expect to see put to the test in 2024?
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