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HELENA, MT. – Montanans from all political ideologies and backgrounds overwhelmingly voted to codify and protect abortion rights in Montana’s state constitution today, delivering yet another victory for reproductive freedom at the ballot box. The Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights campaign, backed by the Fairness Project, won its “Vote Yes on 128” effort Tuesday night. At the time of the race call at 6:01 AM ET, the “Yes” votes were leading 57.4% to 42.6%.

“Montanans were incredibly motivated to secure their reproductive freedom and keep private health care decisions in their own hands – and they prevailed, despite the outrageous attempts of extremist politicians and bad-faith anti-abortion actors to stop Montana voters from having a say,” declared Kelly Hall, Executive Director of the Fairness Project, which backed the Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights campaign. “We’re honored to have worked closely with abortion rights advocates on the ground to achieve this significant victory for the people of Montana.”

For Christopher Coburn, President of the Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights board, the organization that spearheaded the successful campaign to pass Initiative 128, tonight’s victory sends a strong message on the values Montana holds dear. “Voters were clear: Montanans want the freedom to make their own healthcare decisions without government interference,” Coburn began. “Montanans have had to fight to have their voices heard on abortion rights, and today, we won that fight. We are grateful to our partners who fought alongside us, as we could not have achieved this victory for reproductive freedom without the critical financial resources and strategic insights from the Fairness Project.”

Tonight’s win underscored the vital importance of ballot measures in reaffirming democratic values and reflecting the will of the people. “Abortion rights keep winning at the ballot box because that’s what’s in line with American values – and ballot measures are the way for voters to make their voices heard over extremist political agendas and partisan gridlock,” Hall emphasized. 

This victory in Montana is by no means a first for the Fairness Project. 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 able to continue its electoral success in the 2024 campaign.

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