It was a day full of votes in the USA: not only that the fate of the Senate and House of Representatives was decided. Additional referendums were held in some states. The topics and results at a glance.
A vote was taken in the USA – on the seats in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. In addition to the intermediate elections, the so-called midterms, local referendums are held in some states. It’s about abortion rights, legalization of marijuana and slavery. The results at a glance:
right to abortion
In five US states, citizens could vote on abortion rights. In Michigan abortion rights are expected to be included in the constitution, . The state has had a law banning abortion since 1931. However, it has so far been blocked by the courts. The referendum now provides clarity: Abortions remain legal in the state.
Also in California citizens have decided that the right to abortion must be protected. Currently, the state constitution guarantees a right to privacy that the California Supreme Court has ruled includes the right to an abortion.
In Vermont abortions are legal so far – and the citizens want it to stay that way, as the referendum has shown. The constitutional text is amended accordingly: “That the right of an individual to personal reproductive autonomy is central to the freedom and dignity to determine his or her own course of life and may not be denied or violated except in the overriding interest of the State justified.”
Also in Kentucky Was voted. However, the result of the survey is still open. In Montana should be decided whether a fetus is already a legal entity, i.e. has its own rights. There is also the question of whether medical personnel who do not protect the lives of infants should be prosecuted.
slavery
Slavery was officially abolished in the United States in 1865. To this day, however, there are passages in the constitutions of various states and in the US Constitution that permit slavery or involuntary servitude of inmates. Therefore, on Wednesday . In Alabama, Tennessee and Vermont Slavery and servitude in prisons will be banned after the referendums. Prison work in the States must be curtailed accordingly. Also in Oregon Was voted. The result is still open.
Unlike in the former slave-owning state Louisiana: The amendment was rejected. Prison inmates who refuse to work, for example, can still be sanctioned.
Nevertheless, the voting results are hopeful. “Voters in Oregon and other states have joined across party lines to say this taint needs to be removed from the state constitutions,” Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, told The Associated Press. Now It’s time for such laws and regulations to be scrapped entirely from the US Constitution.”There should be no exceptions to a ban on slavery,” he said.
After the referendums, the constitutions of more than a dozen states still contain passages allowing slavery and involuntary servitude of prisoners. For the first time voters were allowed in Colorado Vote on relevant amendments to the constitution in 2018. The states followed two years later Nebraska and Utah.
Cannabis for people over the age of 21?
In. The results in brief:
- In Maryland Possession of marijuana will be legal after the July 1, 2023 referendum. However, only persons over the age of 21 may possess marijuana.
- The same applies to the state Missouri: Possession of marijuana from the age of 21 will also be legal there in the future.
- In North Dakota should citizens decide whether to legalize the possession and use of cannabis from the age of 21. The majority voted against.
- Similar result in South Dakota: Voters voted against legalizing cannabis.
- In Arkansas voters should also decide whether to allow the sale of cannabis as well. Here too: a clear no. However, since 2016 the medicinal use of cannabis has been permitted.
- In Colorado citizens could vote on whether the possession of intoxicants such as mushrooms or psychedelic plants should be legalized. The voters voted for it.
Sources: , , “New York Times”, “”, , “”, with material from AFP
Source: Stern
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