Ballot measures latest: Florida restores voting rights of ex-felons

It’s not all about the red v blue. In dozens of states, voters cast ballots Tuesday on issues ranging from voting rights and climate change to gun control and taxing tech to fund homeless services. Four states will see voters weigh in on the Obamacare Medicaid expansion, while Massachusetts voters will have a chance to reaffirm (or reject) a measure protecting the rights of transgender people.

We’ll be updating this story all night as the results come in, so stay tuned …

Voting rights

Last minute lawsuits, long lines, voter roll purges, and inconvenient polling places – Americans’ ability to exercise their right to vote has been under pressure since the supreme court invalidated parts of the Voting Rights Act in 2013.

Five states had voting rights issues on their ballots tonight, including Florida, where voters chose to restore the franchise to 1.5m people who were convicted of felonies and have completed their sentences. Activists who fought to pass Amendment 4 cheered the victory, which represents the largest expansion of voting rights in decades.

Maryland approved a measure that will expand voting rights by allowing same-day registration.

Meanwhile, North Carolina and Arkansas are both projected by CNN to pass constitutional amendments requiring voters to provide photo IDs to vote – measures that generally restrict the voting rights of the poor and elderly.

Transgender rights

A Massachusetts civil rights law came under attack this year with Question 3, which sought to repeal the 2016 state law banning discrimination against transgender people. But voters rejected the measure, making Massachusetts the first state to affirm transgender rights in a statewide vote.

Reproductive rights

It was a tough night for reproductive rights, with voters in two staunchly Republican states approving measures to restrict abortion. Alabama passed a constitutional amendment to recognize the “right to life” of fetuses and denypublic funding forabortion. West Virginia also passed a constitutional amendment declaring that the state does not protect the right to abortion and restricting public funding for the procedure. A similar measure prohibiting public funding of abortion was rejected by voters in Oregon.

Marijuana

Legal weed continues to spread across the US, as four more states voted on legalization. Missouri voted to legalize medical marijuana, while North Dakota rejected legalization for recreational purposes. We’re still awaiting results from Michigan and Utah, where measures legalizing use for recreational and medical purposes respectively are leading the polls.