COLORADO, USA — Among the issues on Colorado ballots this November was Amendment 79, a ballot measure about making abortion a constitutional right and using public funds for abortion services.
New constitutional amendments requires 55% voter support to pass. At 8:28 p.m., The Associated Press called the race saying the amendment passed.
The latest results are below:
Results are called by The Associated Press. Click here for more on how AP calls races.
To view all 2024 Colorado election results, click here.
What does Amendment 79 do?
According to the Amendment 79 section in the Colorado Blue Book:
"Amendment 79 makes abortion a constitutional right in Colorado and prohibits state and local governments from denying, impeding, or discriminating against exercising that right. Amendment 79 also repeals an existing Colorado constitutional provision banning the use of public funds for abortion services."
Amendment 79 makes two changes.
The first is Amendment 79 moves abortion access rights from state statute into the state constitution.
In 2022, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed HB22-1279, which put abortion access into state law. That legislation was signed two months before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. That Supreme Court decision meant that individual states could make their own decisions on abortion access or restrictions, and Colorado preemptively put abortion access into state law.
Amendment 79 moves those protections from state statute, which can be changed by future lawmakers, and would solidify those protections in the state’s constitution, which can only be changed by voters.
The second change it is making is repealing the part of the state constitution that bans the use of public funds for abortion services.
In other words, the amendment allows for state and local tax dollars to pay for abortions through Medicaid or through a government employee's health insurance plan. So it allows public funds to be used for abortion services.
Amendment 79 financial impact
The Colorado Blue Book details the fiscal impact of statewide ballot issues. The blue book states that Amendment 79 would have no financial impact. However, it would if state lawmakers or local governments pass legislation to allow for taxpayer dollars to fund abortion services.