Despite Support from 57% of Floridians, Unprecedented Interference by State Government Blocks Florida Abortion Rights Amendment from Becoming Law

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Despite securing a majority of the vote, Amendment 4, which would have protected women and their families from government interference in their reproductive healthcare decisions, will not become the law of the land. The will of Florida voters on abortion rights was silenced by a campaign of political intimidation and misinformation by Governor Ron DeSantis and his allies. 

At the time of the race call at 9:41 ET, the “Yes” votes stood at  57% – a majority of Florida voters and the largest number of voters to cast a ballot for abortion rights to date, but not enough to meet the state government’s 60% supermajority requirement for ballot measures.

“Floridians stand with abortion rights, but Governor DeSantis’ anti-democratic campaign against Amendment 4 has prevented the voices of his own constituents from being heard and enforced minority rule,” said Kelly Hall, Executive Director of the Fairness Project, a national ballot measure organization that backed Florida’s Yes on 4 campaign. “In the face of the state government’s unrelenting interference with the ballot measure process, an extraordinary number of Florida voters stood up against a cruel and dangerous abortion ban – and we are incredibly proud to have supported the advocates on the ground who made that possible.”

Efforts by DeSantis and his allies in state government to prevent the passage of Amendment 4 have included a misleading “financial statement” to the proposed amendment, the use of state agencies to run oppositional political advertising, and a state election police unit being deployed to residents’ homes, purportedly to root out fraud in the signature-gathering process for the proposed measure months after it was approved.

For Lauren Brenzel, campaign manager of Yes on 4 Florida, the grassroots organization that spearheaded the abortion rights campaign, tonight’s news confirmed what advocates saw on the ground. “Florida’s deadly abortion ban is out of line with the values of our state. Florida voters sent that message loud and clear today, and despite the fact that only a minority of voters voted to retain the abortion ban our extremist government will exploit the situation to deny its own constituents the right to decide on our bodily autonomy,” Brenzel declared. They continued, “We are grateful for the resources provided by our partners at the Fairness Project that allowed us to reach the millions of Florida voters who support legal abortion. Together, we will not stop fighting until our fundamental right to reproductive freedom is enshrined in law.”

Despite tonight’s anti-democratic outcome in the sunshine state, Hall noted that ballot measures give voters reason to hope. “Florida voters turned out in record numbers for the ballot measure, making it clear how much they value reproductive freedom. Legislators in Tallahassee should take note and pass abortion access legislation that reflects the will of their constituents; meanwhile, we will continue our fight to put ballot measures in front of voters so they can exercise their fundamental democratic rights.”

Since 2022 and the overturn of Roe v Wade, 22 GOP-led state legislatures have enacted severe abortion restrictions or outright bans. To counteract these draconian measures, the Fairness Project began working with state-level partners on the ground to restore and protect reproductive rights with citizen-initiated ballot measures.

With an overall commitment of $30M this election cycle, the Fairness Project is the largest funder of abortion rights ballot campaigns in the U.S. The group has been providing crucial resources, technical expertise, strategic support, and more to campaigns on the ground in multiple states, including Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Nebraska, and Montana.

Having already carried more than 30 progressive ballot measures to victory, the overwhelming majority of which were in conservative and right-leaning states, the Fairness Project is widely considered the nation’s ballot measure leader. Thanks to its unique strategy in reaching Republican, independent, and undecided voters, the organization has been a critical backer and strategic partner for grassroots organizations throughout the country in the 2024 campaign.