Voters in 10 states have also been taking part in ballot measures on abortion in addition to voting for the president and congressional representation.
Access to the procedure has been severely limited in some places since federal protections were scrapped by the Supreme Court in 2022. Some states have been holding local votes on whether to adopt legal protections at a local level.
The result in Florida
We’re monitoring these results for you and are just getting the first through now from Florida, where a pro-abortion rights measure has failed to win enough support to pass.
While a majority of voters look to have backed making abortion a constitutional right in the state, it looks set to fail to hit the 60% mark that local rules mandate it needed to in order to come into force.
What’s the law there?
Abortion is currently illegal after six weeks of pregnancy. If an individual wants to have an abortion before the six week mark Florida requires two in-person visits to a clinic, 24 hours apart.
There are some exceptions to these regulations, which you can read more about here.
The situation elsewhere
Some votes are yet to be counted but the amendment is on course not to hit that threshold, according to CBS projections.
That’s significant because it’s the first time we’ve seen a state-wide initiative designed to protect abortion access to fail to pass since 2022.
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World stock markets rise in anticipation of US election results
Benchmark stock indexes in Japan and Australia made gains on Wednesday morning, while the US dollar was higher against other major currencies as investors closely monitor for US election results.
The result of the election is expected to have a major impact on the global economy, especially in Asia.
It is uncertain whether the result of the election will be known during Asian trading hours, as counts in swing states could take days to be completed.
Read more about the US election’s impacts on markets here.
