Floridians are voting on Amendment 4, a constitutional amendment that would guarantee a right to abortion up until the point of fetal viability. 

Constitutional amendments require a 60 percent supermajority to pass in Florida, the highest threshold of any of the 10 states with an abortion measure on the ballot in 2024. 

For years, Florida was a critical access point for abortion as its neighboring states heavily restricted or banned the procedure.  But as of May 1, the procedure was banned after six weeks of pregnancy with exceptions for rape and incest up to 15 weeks.

Floridians Protecting Freedom, a coalition of abortion groups, secured the required number of signatures to get on the ballot, and the state Supreme Court approved the measure’s language in April.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who supports the six-week ban, vocally opposed the measure and leveraged public resources to try to undermine the abortion rights campaign. His state health department sought to stop local news channels from airing advertisements in favor of Amendment 4, an effort blocked by federal courts. Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for president and a Florida resident, also said he would vote against the measure.

Florida and its 30 Electoral College votes hold significant sway in the presidential race, though the once-swing state has trended Republican in recent election cycles.

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