Last week’s vote was once again held in a climate of polarization between Republicans and Democrats, with divisive issues like transgender rights and access to abortion shaping the results of several races. Analysis of the vote surrounding three issues.
The record of the November 8 ballot remains mixed for trans Americans: Although a record number of LGBTQ+ candidates were elected this year, several candidates presenting anti-trans platforms were also victorious in key races.
Of the 37 transgender candidates running in elections across the country, nearly half — 18 — won their races, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a political action committee dedicated to electing candidates from the community.
Among them, Democrat James Roesener became the first trans man elected to a state legislature after winning the New Hampshire House of Representatives.
The 26-year-old newly elected official said he ran after the tabling of a “parental rights” bill that would have required public schools in his state to notify parents if their child asked about his or her gender identity to a school staff member. The bill did not ultimately pass, but the fight is “not over”, according to Roesener.
In Minnesota, Leigh Finke became the first openly transgender person elected to the state legislature. She said she ran after seeing growing anti-transgender sentiment across the country.
These victories indeed come amidst a surge of anti-LGBTQ bills in the United States, particularly those targeting transgender rights and gender-affirming health care.
More such bills were introduced in 2022 than ever before in the United States. According to a count of washington post and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), as of October 13, 155 anti-trans bills have been filed, 24 more than in 2021.
The rise of anti-LGBTQ politics has also manifested itself in key races: Governor Ron DeSantis notably won re-election with a landslide in Florida. The Republican politician, who could be the main rival of Donald Trump in the primaries of the Great Old Partynotably signed a bill earlier this year banning the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity between Kindergarten and Grade 3.
DeSantis also signed a bill last year banning transgender women from playing on public school teams for student-athletes. Although his decisions had caused controversy, nearly 60% of voters in the state returned him to power after the midterm elections.
Republican Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, who in the past signed two bills targeting transgender youth and classroom discussions of LGBTQ identities, was also re-elected with nearly 70% of the vote.
Texas Divided
For families in Uvalde, Texas, these midterm elections were like no other: By the time they got to vote, nearly six months had passed since an 18-year-old man murdered 19 students. and two teachers from Robb Elementary School, shaking the community — and the world.
Since the incident, families of the victims have called for political action, including calling on Texas Governor Greg Abbott and other lawmakers to raise the minimum age to purchase assault weapons to 21. The shooter had purchased his own shortly before the carnage.
Despite several voices arguing for change, the pro-gun Republican governor won a third term by easily defeating his Democratic opponent Beto O’Rourke. Greg Abbott even snatched a larger margin of votes in Uvalde County (60%) than statewide (54.8%).
Many Texans expressed their election frustration on Twitter. Kimberly Garcia, a citizen of Uvalde, notably threw a point at Governor Abbott there on election night on 8 November “I hope your family will never be killed like my child was. »
A journalist from Texas Grandstand, Uriel J. Gracia, had already testified to the state of mind of the families of the victims of the shooting on election night. “The families of Uvalde are disappointed after learning that Greg Abbott has been re-elected. Some are hurt that the county voted decisively for Abbott,” he noted. on Twitter.
Texas has had a Republican governor at its head for almost two decades: Ann Richards is the last Democratic personality to have held this position, from 1991 to 1995.
Abortion rights strengthened
The issue of abortion access also featured on several ballots months after the country’s Supreme Court overturned the ruling Roe v. wade.
Five states thus took advantage of the mid-term ballot to organize local referendums on the subject.
Voters in California, Michigan and Vermont have come out in favor of abortion rights, with all three states now enshrining abortion rights in their Constitutions — a major victory for the pro-choice movement, as it protects access to this health care from future attacks.
In Michigan, 56.7 percent of voters approved of making reproductive freedom and all pregnancy-related matters a state constitutional right. In California, 66.3% of voters wanted the state constitution to be amended. In Vermont, it was an even more overwhelming majority: 76.7% of voters voted for the creation of a constitutional right to “personal reproductive autonomy.”
These results were expected in these three Democratic-majority states. But voters in Kentucky and Montana also followed the trend by rejecting anti-abortion proposals.
Although the procedure is still banned in Kentucky, nearly 53 percent voters in the state rejected Constitutional Amendment 2, which would have explicitly stated that the state constitution provides no protection for the right to abortion.
In Montana, 52.6% of voters rejected a proposal that would have criminalized caregivers who do not do everything possible to save the life of a child after childbirth, following a cesarean section or “born during of an attempted abortion. According to the count of the ballot, just over 22,500 votes leaned towards the rejection of this measure which was considered superfluous by its critics.
Despite these victories, abortion is still unavailable in 14 US states, including 12 with almost no exceptions and two states with no clinics providing such services.