A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
It wasn't just candidates on the ballot this week. Voters also weighed in on local and statewide ballot measures on issues such as abortion, data centers and taxes. NPR political reporter Maham Javaid has been following some of them. So let's start with data centers. What were the results there?
MAHAM JAVAID, BYLINE: So there were more than 40 ballot measures about them spread across 10 states. There were measures to restrict the size of the AI facilities, to require that new data centers get public hearings before approval, and then there were measures to completely ban them. Ohio had several data-center questions on local ballots. Every measure that passed restricted data centers. And that pattern held all over the country, including Maine, Illinois, Kansas and New Jersey. The only place that approved data centers was a small town in North Dakota.
MARTÍNEZ: North Dakota. OK. What about abortion?
JAVAID: You know, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, laws about abortions were left up to the states. This year, voters in Missouri, Nevada and Virginia all voted to preserve their existing laws that protect access to abortion. Virginia also added protections for contraception and access to fertility treatment, creating more reproductive rights. But in Idaho, people voted to maintain the state's abortion ban that was enacted four years ago.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, I know the voting process was under some scrutiny this year. What kind of changes did voters approve for future elections?
JAVAID: Yeah. Even as we had an election with high voter turnout, people still voted to tighten the laws around who gets to vote. Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio passed stronger voter ID laws. California and Colorado voted against further voter ID laws. There were also measures about redistricting, something that's been on people's minds all year. Missouri rejected a Republican-friendly map, and Maryland passed an amendment that could make it easier for Democrats to redistrict in their favor for the next election.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. Can't avoid taxes. Taxes are always the ballot issue, seemingly. So what were the results on taxes this year?
JAVAID: So one of the ones that's gotten the most attention is an effort to tax billionaires in California. It would take 5% of all assets above $1 billion. One of the co-founders of Google spent more than $100 million to defeat the measure. That race is still too close to call, but if it passes, that money would go to healthcare. Another notable ballot question was about cutting property taxes in Florida. That passed, and what that means is that local governments around the state will lose billions in revenue.
MARTÍNEZ: You have pored over the results of lots of ballot measures. So what else did stick out to you as you were kind of looking through this stuff?
JAVAID: Yeah. So the measures about LGBTQ rights were very interesting. This was a very good election for Democrats, and it's an issue that the party and its voters care about. In Virginia, voters repealed a ban on gay marriage. But in other states, including Colorado and Arizona, voters appear to have backed antitransgender measures aimed at kids, especially for youth sports. Voters in Arizona approved the measure. The vote in Colorado hasn't been called yet, but the yes votes are leading.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. That's NPR political reporter Maham Javaid. Thank you very much.
JAVAID: Thank you.
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