Organizers in Arizona and Nebraska said Wednesday that they turned in far more signatures than required to get ballot measures on abortion rights before voters in November's election. In Nebraska, there could be two competing questions. One, like the Arizona proposal, would add a right to abortion to the state constitution. The other would enshrine Nebraska's current ban on most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy.
In both states, it's now up to election officials to certify the signatures before they're added to ballots, the AP reports.
- Democrats have made abortion rights a central message since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and it is a key part of their efforts in this year's elections. Activists in Arkansas are still pushing to meet Friday's deadline to make the ballot there.
- In five other states, the issue already is set to go before voters this year: Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, and South Dakota. New York also has a measure that advocates say would protect abortion access.
- Arizona organizers say they submitted 823,685 signatures, far above the 383,923 required from registered voters. Arizona for Abortion Access spokesperson Dawn Penich said it was the most signatures ever submitted for a citizens initiative in state history.
- Arizona currently has a 15-week abortion ban. The proposed amendment would allow abortions until a fetus could survive outside the womb, typically around 24 weeks, with exceptions to save the mother's life or to protect her physical or mental health.
- In Nebraska, officials with Protect Our Rights said they turned in 207,000 signatures in their effort to enshrine abortion rights. Organizers of SBA Pro-Life America's competing petition effort said they submitted more than 205,000 signatures. The state requires more than 123,000 valid signatures—or 10% of registered voters in the state—to qualify for the ballot.
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