Voters in several states head to the polls to cast their ballots in elections, including some closely watched as bellwethers for the bigger 2024 battle.
The Iowa Caucuses are 61 days away but the 2024 Election Cycle begins today.
Americans nationwide head to the polls on Nov. 7 for municipal and school board contests. In addition, those in New Jersey, Mississippi, and Virginia are electing state lawmakers and those in Kentucky and Mississippi are casting ballots in gubernatorial elections.
Also on tap today: Voters in five states will see 28 statewide referendums on their Nov. 7 ballots, most notably in Ohio, where the “right to make reproductive decisions including abortion” and to legalize marijuana are being closely watched with the abortion rights measure, in particular, viewed as a possible bellwether for 2024 campaigns across the country.
Emerging trends from these “off-year” elections indicate: abortion will again be a top campaign issue, Democrat voters in some states are not as enthusiastic as Republican voters, and, not surprisingly, 2024 will be the most expensive election cycle in history.
Some say the 2024 election cycle actually kicked off during Louisiana’s Oct. 14 “jungle primary” where Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry was elected governor to succeed term-limited Democrat John Bel Edwards in January 2025.
The Louisiana primary was notable for low turnout, especially among Democrats, as the GOP cemented its super-majorities in both Louisiana state house chambers. Some say this could be a pattern in other elections in other states in 2024.
Low turnout, however, is not expected to be an issue in Virginia’s General Assembly elections and the vote on the two proposed Ohio constitutional amendments.
Abortion on the Ballot
The lone 2023 abortion-related ballot measure in Ohio follows last year’s midterms where, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s June 2022 ruling that overturned the constitutional right to abortion, there were six state referendums addressing the issue, including three proposed constitutional amendments to establish a right to the procedure.
Pro-life advocates lost all six, including in red states such as Kentucky and Kansas.
Ohio’s Issue 1, the “Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Including Abortion Initiative,” will add abortion rights to the state constitution if approved.
By John Haughey, Jeff Louderback, Terri Wu and Lawrence Wilson
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