Missouri voters reject Amendment 3, keeping abortion legal

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Missouri voters rejected a constitutional amendment on Nov. 3 that would have banned abortion and written a ban on transgender care for minors into the state constitution. The measure was also numbered Amendment 3, the same number voters used two years earlier to legalize abortion.

With two-thirds of precincts reporting, the measure trailed 55.9% to 44.1%. Its defeat keeps abortion legal through fetal viability and leaves the 2024 amendment in force.

Why it matters

Missouri voters have now rejected abortion restrictions three times in two years, including when paired with a restriction most of them support.

Questions about this story

Free account needed to ask — your question is kept and asked for you right after sign-up. Answers are public.

No questions yet — be the first to ask.

Key Indicators

55.9%

Share voting against Amendment 3

Partial count with 66% of precincts reporting on election night.

51.6%

Share approving the 2024 abortion-rights Amendment 3

The margin was 51.6% to 48.4%, about 48,000 votes from reversal.

$26M+

Large donations to the campaign opposing Amendment 3

Donations of $5,000 or more since the start of 2026.

$6.7M

Large donations to the campaign supporting Amendment 3

Donations of $5,000 or more since the start of 2026.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Mike Kehoe

Governor of Missouri

In office; campaigned for Amendment 3

Scott Fitzpatrick

Missouri State Auditor

In office

Denny Hoskins

Missouri Secretary of State

In office; endorsed Amendment 3

Brian Seitz

Missouri state representative, Branson Republican

In office

Michael Wolff

Former chief justice, Missouri Supreme Court

Advising the campaign against Amendment 3

Organizations Involved

Missouri General Assembly

State legislature

Republican supermajority; referred Amendment 3 to the ballot

The legislature wrote the amendment, its original ballot summary, and the 2023 law restricting gender transition care for minors.

Missouri Secretary of State

State agency

Writes ballot language and certifies results

The office drafts the summaries voters read at the polls and certifies election results.

Timeline

June 2022 November 2026

5 events Latest: Yesterday

Tap a bar to jump to that date

November 2026
Voters reject Amendment 3
Latest Election

The measure trailed 55.9% to 44.1%, keeping abortion legal through fetal viability.
Yesterday
2026
Appeals court rewrites the ballot summary
Legal

The final wording leads with repeal of the 2024 abortion-rights amendment.
2026
November 2024
Voters approve abortion-rights Amendment 3
Election

The 51.6% to 48.4% vote lifted one of the country's strictest abortion bans.
November 5th, 2024
August 2023
Missouri restricts gender transition care for minors
Law

State law bans transition surgery and new hormone prescriptions for minors.
August 2023
June 2022
Supreme Court ends federal abortion protection
Legal

The decision returned abortion law to the states, setting up state-by-state fights.
June 2022

Scenarios

Courts strike down more Missouri abortion regulations

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Missouri Independent, which reported on Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang's summer rulings

The 2024 amendment has already been used to void a 72-hour waiting period, special licensing rules and hospital admitting privileges. More challenges are pending, and each ruling widens what clinics can offer.

Legislature refers another abortion measure to the 2028 ballot

Possible Resolves by Nov 7, 2028

Discussed by: Missouri Independent, reporting on how the companion Amendment 6 would affect future referrals

Republican supermajorities have now referred an abortion measure to voters twice. Whether they can do it a third time depends on Amendment 6, the companion measure on the same ballot, and on whether leaders see a path after two losses.

No new statewide abortion measure reaches Missouri voters before 2028

Likely Resolves by Nov 7, 2028

Discussed by: Election results and the size of the defeat reported by the St. Louis American

A roughly 12-point loss, larger than the 2024 margin, gives lawmakers little reason to try again soon. The next regular statewide election with ballot measures is 2028, leaving a gap for court fights and clinic expansion.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

August 2022

Kansas 'Value Them Both' referendum (2022)

Six weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Kansas voters were asked to remove abortion protections from the state constitution. The amendment failed 59% to 41%, with unusually high turnout for a primary.

Then

Kansas kept legal abortion and became a regional destination for patients from neighboring states.

Now

The result showed that direct votes on abortion bans could lose even in Republican-leaning states, and it became the template for post-Roe ballot fights.

Why this matters now

Missouri's two votes follow the same pattern: when voters are asked directly, abortion restrictions have lost.

August and November 2023

Ohio Issue 1 votes (2023)

Ohio Republicans placed a measure on the August ballot to raise the threshold for passing constitutional amendments to 60%. Voters rejected it about 57% to 43%. Three months later, an abortion-rights amendment passed by a similar margin.

Then

The threshold change failed and the abortion-rights amendment took effect.

Now

The episode showed that voters punish attempts to change the rules to block a specific policy, and it previewed the procedural fights over ballot wording.

Why this matters now

Missouri's fight over a misleading ballot summary, rewritten twice by courts, mirrors Ohio's argument over whether voters knew what they were deciding.