Abortion rights are on Missouri ballots this fall. Here’s what it means and how to vote

Abortion rights are officially on the ballot in Missouri this November.

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft issued certificates for four ballot initiative petitions Tuesday, finding that three of them qualify for inclusion on voters’ ballots this fall.

Perhaps the most controversial is the reproductive rights question , also called Amendment 3, which would enshrine abortion and other reproductive rights in the state’s constitution. If passed, the measure would overturn the state’s 2022 “trigger ban” on abortion that immediately followed the U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down Roe v. Wade.

The abortion question was approved alongside petitions to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026 and legalize sports gambling in the state. A fourth question, on expanding riverboat casino licenses, was not certified by Ashcroft’s office.

Missouri isn’t the only state in which voters will weigh in directly on abortion rights this November. Arizona , Colorado , Florida and Nevada voters will also decide whether to codify abortion rights in their state constitutions. Arizona and Florida currently have very stringent restrictions on abortion, while laws in Colorado and Nevada are more permissive of the procedure.

Here’s when and how you can weigh in on Missouri’s abortion access laws in this November’s election.

What’s the deadline to register to vote in Missouri?

The last day to register to vote in Missouri ahead of November’s general election is Wednesday, Oct. 9. You can check your voter registration through the Missouri Secretary of State’s online voter portal.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail for November’s election is 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23. You can find an absentee ballot application on the Missouri Secretary of State’s website.

No-excuse, in-person absentee voting, also called early voting, begins at select polling places on Tuesday, Oct. 22. Check your local election office’s website for early voting locations and opening hours.

Election Day is on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Check out the Kansas City Voter Guide, created by The Star and a consortium of other local media outlets, at kcvoterguide.org for more information about what’s on your ballot.

What does the abortion ballot question actually say?

Here’s the exact text that will appear on your ballot:

“Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:

• establish a right to make decisions about reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives, with any governmental interference of that right presumed invalid;

• remove Missouri’s ban on abortion;

• allow regulation of reproductive health care to improve or maintain the health of the patient;

• require the government not to discriminate, in government programs, funding, and other activities, against persons providing or obtaining reproductive health care; and

• allow abortion to be restricted or banned after Fetal Viability except to protect the life or health of the woman?”

State governmental entities estimate no costs or savings, but unknown impact. Local governmental entities estimate costs of at least $51,000 annually in reduced tax revenues. Opponents estimate a potentially significant loss to state revenue.”

The $51,000 figure is an estimate of lost tax revenue calculated by Greene County, which projected in 2023 that legalizing abortion could remove up to 135 future citizens from its population per year.

Petitioners collected more than 380,000 signatures across the state to get this measure included on Missouri’s November ballots — nearly double the required number of around 171,000.

What would a ‘yes’ and a ‘no’ vote mean on Missouri’s abortion measure?

Voting “yes” would support modifying Missouri’s constitution to include the right to abortion and freedom in other reproductive choices.

If passed, this measure would overturn Missouri’s abortion ban and prevent the state from punishing health care providers or people who get abortions for their involvement in the procedure. It would also prevent the state from regulating other forms of reproductive health care like birth control, IVF, miscarriage care and “respectful birthing conditions.”

The state could still regulate abortion after “fetal viability,” a designation which the amendment would leave up to interpretation by medical professionals. However, these regulations are not allowed to restrict abortions that a patient’s doctor deems necessary “to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person.”

Voting “no” would oppose modifying Missouri’s constitution to include the right to abortion and freedom in other reproductive choices.

If the measure fails, the state’s near-total ban on abortion would remain in effect. The current law bans abortion in all stages of pregnancy, even the first weeks before most people know they are pregnant. The only exception is if the pregnant person’s life is in immediate danger.

Under the current ban, abortion providers can face up to 15 years in prison and the loss of their medical license for helping to perform an abortion that doesn’t meet this standard.

Do you have more questions about the upcoming election in Missouri? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com .