The ballot initiative in Florida would have allowed abortion until the point of foetal viability or about 24 weeks.

In Nevada, voters approved the measure to protect abortion rights with 63 percent. But state law requires voters to approve ballot amendments twice, so the measure will face another vote in 2026. Abortion has remained broadly legal in the state since the Supreme Court overturned Roe.

Abortion rights were on the ballot in 10 U.S. states in Tuesday's election, including battleground states that play critical roles in the presidential race and the fight for control of Congress.

Florida voters rejected ballot measures Tuesday to protect abortion rights and legalize marijuana, handing victories to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who used state resources and campaigned heavily to defeat the issues.

But abortion supporters had a major setback in Florida, where a proposed constitutional amendment to end the state’s strict ban fell just short of passage.

Voters in Missouri cleared the way to undo one of the nation's most restrictive abortion bans, while Florida defeated a similar constitutional amendment, leaving in place a law barring most abortions after the first six weeks of pregnancy.

Competing yard signs for and against Amendment 3, a measure that would establish a constitutional right to abortion dot neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S., October 11, 2024. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo (Reuters) - Abortion is on the ballot in 10 U.

The initiatives in both blue and red states reflected many Americans’ belief that abortion bans in force in nearly half the country since 2022 went too far.