Florida voters on Tuesday approved one of the largest property tax cuts in the state's history, while Virginians wrote a right to abortion into their constitution and Missouri voters turned back a Republican-led effort to repeal the
abortion protections they adopted two years ago.
The results came as voters in 39 states decided 145 statewide measures on Tuesday.
Florida clears the 60% bar on property taxes
Florida's Amendment 3, a priority of outgoing Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-led Legislature, won 62% of the vote, two points above the supermajority Florida requires for any constitutional amendment. Just the News previously reported that the measure was on track to clear that threshold.
The amendment raises the homestead exemption from non-school property taxes from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and to $250,000 in 2028. School taxes are untouched. It also halves the annual cap on assessment increases for commercial property, rentals and second homes, from 10% to 5%, starting Jan. 1, 2027.
Virginia enshrines abortion rights
Virginia voters approved Question 1, which adds "the fundamental right to make and carry out decisions about a person's own reproductive care" to the state's Bill of Rights. The New York Times projected that the amendment would pass, with roughly 62% support.
Abortion is already legal in Virginia until the third trimester. The amendment moves that protection from statute into the constitution, so a future General Assembly could not restrict it without another statewide vote. The Associated Press described the amendment as ensuring abortion access through the first two trimesters.
Missouri rejects abortion ban redo
Missouri voters defeated Amendment 3, according to the Associated Press. The result keeps the abortion-rights amendment voters approved in 2024 in place, but which the Republican legislature aimed to overturn this year through this ballot measure.
According to the secretary of state's ballot language, a "yes" vote would have repealed that 2024 amendment. It would then have allowed abortion only in medical emergencies, for fetal anomalies, and in cases of rape or incest before 12 weeks. The measure also would have written a ban on gender transition procedures for minors into the constitution.
Opponents held a large financial edge. They raised more than $26 million in donations of $5,000 or more this year, compared with about $6.7 million for supporters. Gov. Mike Kehoe, who campaigned for the amendment on Monday, said that its defeat would be "a sad day for Missouri."
Voter ID wins where results are in
Conservatives saw a glimmer of light as Ohio's Issue 3 passed, which enshrines voter ID into the state's constitution. Ohio already requires photo ID to vote in person but moving that rule from statute into the constitution means legislators can no longer change it without voter approval.
North Carolina's amendment requiring photo ID for all voters, including those voting by mail or absentee, passed with about 60% of the vote.
Other ID measures were still being counted. NBC News rated Arizona's Proposition 144, which pairs voter ID with citizenship verification, too early to call at the time of this writing. So was Nevada's Question 7, which needs a second approval after voters first passed it in 2024. No results were available yet for the ID measures in California and Colorado.
Voting on California's billionaire tax not yet called
No result is available yet for California's Proposition 40, a one-time 5% tax on residents worth more than $1 billion. In early returns, it trailed 43% to 57%, but no outlet had called the measure late Tuesday. California can take days to certify its results.
The Facts Inside Our Reporter's Notebook
Links
- 145 statewide measures
- won 62% of the vote
- previously reported
- halves the annual cap
- projected that the amendment would pass
- described the amendment
- Associated Press
- secretary of state's ballot language
- said
- passed with about 60%
- too early to call
- trailed 43% to 57%
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