Updated November 6, 2026: The AP has now called every race below. Results reflect unofficial counts as of November 6, 2026, and won't be final until each state certifies them.
The polls have closed, the races have been called, and many of us spent this week checking our phones before our eyes were fully open. If that's you, take a breath. The results from Tuesday's midterm ballot measures are mixed, and how they land depends a lot on who you are and where you live.
Here's the short version as of November 6: voters in several states backed abortion rights, while every standalone measure restricting transgender people, especially trans young people, passed. Both of those things are true at once, and it's okay to feel relief and grief in the same breath.
Below is what we know, what happens next, and what you can do, whether you're celebrating, hurting, or somewhere in between.
What Voters Decided on Abortion
According to the Associated Press, voters weighed in on about 145 ballot questions across more than three dozen states this year. On reproductive rights, here's where things stand:
- Virginia: passed. Voters approved a constitutional amendment creating a fundamental right to reproductive freedom. The AP reports it protects abortion through the first two trimesters and also creates rights to contraception and fertility care.
- Nevada: passed. The AP called it early Wednesday, with about 63% voting yes in unofficial results, per the Pahrump Valley Times. Question 6 adds a fundamental right to abortion until fetal viability to the state constitution. Nevadans first approved it in 2024, but constitutional initiatives there need a second yes vote, which is what this election was. Abortion was already legal in Nevada under state law; this makes the protection much harder to undo.
- Missouri: rejected. Voters turned down Amendment 3, which, according to the AP, would have reimposed restrictions on most abortions and also barred certain medical care for transgender minors. It won only 44% of the vote, the Missouri Independent reports, so the abortion rights Missourians approved in 2024 stay in place.
- Idaho: defeated. Proposition 1 would have created a legal path around the state's near-total abortion ban and allowed abortion up to fetal viability and in medical emergencies. The AP called the race early Wednesday, with about 55% voting no, as reported by Boise State Public Radio.
So people in Virginia and Nevada now have stronger, constitution-level protections. Idaho's ban stays in place, which means people there, including many rural, low-income, Indigenous and Latine residents who already travel long distances for care, will keep facing the steepest barriers.
What Voters Decided on Trans Rights
This is the harder part of the night for a lot of our community.
- Nebraska: passed. Voters approved a constitutional amendment targeting trans young people. PinkNews reports it writes the state's 2025 law on transgender athletes into the constitution. Ballotpedia shows Initiative 442 passing with about 68% of the vote in unofficial results.
- Arizona: passed. Proposition 318 passed with about 59% of the vote in unofficial results, per Ballotpedia. It extends the state's trans athlete restrictions to private schools and athletic associations, and also bars students and others from using restrooms, locker rooms and other private spaces that don't match the sex on their original birth certificate.
- Colorado: both measures passed. Proposition 134 requires students to play on teams that match their sex assigned at birth, and Proposition 135 bans surgeries meant to change a minor's sex characteristics, with some medical exceptions. KUNC reports each got roughly 52% to 53% of the vote; the AP called Prop 134 on Thursday and Prop 135 on Friday, and opponents conceded. Prop 135 does not ban puberty blockers, hormones or counseling. Both take effect January 1, and because they change state law rather than the constitution, the legislature can amend them.
- Washington: passed. Initiative 638, which bars trans girls from girls' school sports, passed with about 56% of the vote; the AP called it Wednesday evening. OPB reports it requires girls who want to play on girls' teams to verify their sex through medical testing. The ACLU has promised discrimination lawsuits, and the state attorney general said he expects legal challenges.
Supporters of these measures say they're about fairness in girls' sports and protecting minors. Trans people, their families, many doctors and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups say they single out a small group of kids, intrude on private medical decisions, and send a painful message about who belongs. We believe trans kids deserve to play, to get care with their families and doctors, and to grow up feeling wanted. That's our view, and we hold it alongside our commitment to describing every side accurately.
What Happens Next
Every race here has been called, but the numbers are still unofficial. States keep counting mail, overseas, military and provisional ballots for days, so percentages may shift a little before certification. Your state or county election office will post the official results and certification dates. Lawsuits are already promised against some of these measures, so they may not take effect when scheduled.
If You're Hurting Today
When your body, your family or your future is literally on a ballot, it's exhausting, no matter the outcome. A few things that can help:
- Limit the doomscroll. Pick one or two trusted sources and check them at set times instead of refreshing all day.
- Find your people. Text a friend, go to a local LGBTQ+ center, or join an online community where you don't have to explain yourself.
- Tend to your body. Food, water, sleep, a walk outside, a shower. Basic care is not small right now.
- Don't assume everything changed overnight. New measures often take effect on a later date, and some may be challenged in court. A local legal organization can tell you what actually applies to you.
- Reach out if it's too much. Trans Lifeline (by and for trans people): 877-565-8860. The Trevor Project (LGBTQ+ young people): call 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988.
What You Can Do
- Check your state's official results. Find your state or local election office through Vote.gov. Ballotpedia also tracks every statewide measure.
- If you voted by mail or provisionally, make sure it counts. Many states let you track your ballot and fix (or "cure") a signature problem for a few days after the election. Your county election office can tell you how. Questions or problems? Call the Election Protection hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).
- Contact your state lawmakers. Many of these fights continue in state legislatures. Look up who represents you through USA.gov or your state legislature's website and tell them, briefly and in your own words, what you need.
- Support groups doing the work on the ground. Local abortion funds, trans-led mutual aid networks, and state LGBTQ+ advocacy groups often need volunteers and small donations most in the weeks after an election.
- Know your rights. Organizations like the ACLU and Lambda Legal publish know-your-rights guides on abortion access and trans health care, and track legal challenges.
- Stay registered for next time. Moved? Changed your name? Update your registration at Vote.org now, while it's on your mind.
The Takeaway
Tuesday showed that when bodily autonomy goes directly to voters, abortion rights keep winning in many places, and it also showed how much work remains to protect trans people, especially trans kids. Whatever you're feeling today is valid. Rest, find your people, and when you're ready, keep showing up. Democracy isn't one night; it's every day after.
Empower Pleasure doesn't endorse candidates. Updated as of November 6, 2026. Facts can change quickly, so check the linked sources for the latest.
Sources
- Associated Press, David A. Lieb (2026). Voters back abortion rights and reject Trump's redistricting in state ballot measures
- Boise State Public Radio, Austen Erblat (2026). Abortion measure in Idaho defeated, but Nevada voters add abortion to state constitution
- Ballotpedia (2026). Nevada Question 6, Right to Abortion Initiative (2026)
- PinkNews (2026). Nebraska voters pass 'Fairness for Girls' measure to put trans sports ban in constitution
- KUNC, Grace Doerfler & Kyle McKinnon (2026). Colorado voters approve sports limits, surgery ban for transgender youth
- OPB, Sarah Mizes-Tan (2026). Washington voters pass initiative to ban transgender girls in girls' sports
- Pahrump Valley Times, Casey Harrison & Emerson Drewes (2026). Nevada voters approve abortion rights, voter ID measures
- Ballotpedia (2026). Arizona Proposition 318 (2026)
- Missouri Independent via News Tribune, Anna Spoerre (2026). Missouri voters reject Amendment 3, preserving abortion rights approved in 2024
- Ballotpedia (2026). Nebraska Sex Requirement for School and College Sports Amendment (2026)
- Palomar College Pride Center (2026). Crisis and Support Hotlines and Lifelines
Photo: Lerone Pieters / Pexels
