Abortion rights groups in Florida are remorseful after last week's narrow referendum loss, but say the fight to overturn the state's six-week abortion ban is far from over.
Florida became the first state to reject the Abortion Rights Amendment since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, leaving Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R-FL) six-week ban in place. . The amendment, which aims to protect access to abortion up to the point where the fetus is viable, was approved by 57% of voters in Florida, where the amendment requires 60% support. It failed to pass due to the super-majority standard.
This requirement, combined with the unprecedented involvement of the DeSantis administration, posed a unique set of challenges to passing the amendment. People on both sides of the debate say The uphill battle to enshrine abortion protections into the all-red Florida constitution will continue.
“Republicans can't get cocky,” said Ford O'Connell, a Republican strategist in Florida. “I think [the amendment is] There will be another trial in Florida, and Republicans must prepare to defeat them. ”
Natasha Sutherland, a senior adviser to the official Yes on 4 campaign, told The Hill that the push for stronger abortion protections is “not over yet” but there is “motivation” for new initiatives in 2026. He said he was not sure.
“Let us heal our wounds and understand what went wrong and what went wrong before lobbying,” she said of the immediate next steps.
Abortion rights groups have raised nearly $100 million for their cause, while DeSantis' committee opposing the measure has raised only about $6.3 million. Given this lack of funding, Sutherland attributed the bill's failure to pass in large part to DeSantis' use of gubernatorial authority and state funds.
“We got so close that I can't imagine allowing them to get that close again,” Sutherland said.
Meanwhile, the Vote No 4 campaign attributes much of its success to DeSantis' “leadership” throughout the process.
“He was deeply embedded in the campaign,” John Stemberger, regional field director for the No campaign, told The Hill. “You can't replace it. It's huge.”
Florida's governor, who has been a vocal leader in opposition to the amendment, tried to block the bill from being voted on, threatening television stations to air campaign ads supporting the initiative and forcing the state health department to issue an amendment. A website has been set up to vehemently criticize it.
“They did [everything] And they did whatever it took to really spread a ton of misinformation and disinformation about the current state of abortion care in Florida and what the amendments would or wouldn't do,” Sutherland said of DeSantis' involvement. talked about.
“This is like death by a piece of paper,” she added.
Still, given the support his campaign has received from some Florida Republicans, Sutherland believes there is a “pathway to penetration” with voters by improving grassroots efforts across the state. There is.
The No on 4 campaign is also reconsidering how it appeals to voters, as nearly six in 10 voters said they supported the measure. President-elect Trump, who is registered to vote in Florida, said he voted against the voting measure because he had previously argued that the six-week ban was too harsh.
“It's clear that we have a lot of work to do to convince people about this issue,” Stemberger said, noting the importance of “how we frame the issue” when it comes to abortion.
A major talking point in the campaign against the ballot measure focused on the amendment's lack of definition. Mr Stemberger called the amendments “very extreme” and “deceptive”, pointing out the ambiguity of terms such as “viability” and “medical professional”.
“Depending on how you ask the question, the vote is either pro-choice or pro-life,” Stemberger said.
Here's a summary of Florida's voting:Limited to 75 wordsleaving little room for definition or explanation. In addition to the limited number of words assigned, Florida has another unique requirement. That is a 60 percent supermajority standard.
“Ballot initiatives are a new way to really fight, and they can also help boost candidates who are on the ballot in some states,” said O'Connell, the Republican strategist. “That’s why I think we’ll probably see more states move to 60 states.” [percent] There are no voting restrictions due to the ability to avoid elections. ”
The Sunshine State is one of the few states that does so. supermajority required Vote to pass the amendment. Florida voters passed an amendment establishing this standard in 2006 with a vote of 58%.
“The reality is that because of the Florida Constitution, a minority of Florida voters have decided that the Fourth Amendment cannot be adopted,” Yes on 4 campaign director Lauren Brenzel said last Tuesday. spoke to supporters after the results came out that night. “In the most conservative presidential election in Florida history, a majority of Floridians voted to repeal Florida's abortion ban.”
Responding to criticism that minority votes would determine the outcome, Stenberger said everyone needed to “play by the rules.”
“The rule is not majority rule,” he said. “The rule is 60 percent.”
Stemberger added that he is part of a large coalition advocating for raising the standard for amendments to a two-thirds majority vote like in New Hampshire. Still, O'Connell said this may not benefit efforts to keep Florida's six-week ban in place.
“Florida is known for electing Republicans across the state, but we've also shown ourselves to be very liberal when it comes to voting measures,” he said, adding that the state has also shown support for medical marijuana legalization and minimum wage reforms. mentioned raising.
