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Ballot measure results on abortion, marijuana legalization, slavery

Voters in more than 20 states face a range of ballot initiatives, including questions on voting, guns and slavery.

WASHINGTON — Besides picking elected representatives, voters across the country will be deciding key state ballot measures and propositions during the 2022 elections. 

This year's topics cover a wide range including abortion, marijuana, slavery, constitutional provisions, guns, gambling and reshaping the ways voters cast ballots in coming elections. 

Millions of Americans have already cast ballots either early in person or by mail, with millions more set to vote in person at their polling places.

As polls begin to close around the country on Election Day, below you'll see updated results on all of the key state ballot measures, propositions and constitutional amendments before voters. 

Bookmark this page and return for real-time local and national election results as they come in.

Which states have marijuana on the ballot in 2022?

Five states - Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota - are considering whether to approve recreational marijuana for those 21 and older.

They would join 19 states and the District of Columbia with recreational cannabis. Prohibitions across the country have fallen steadily in the decade since Colorado and Washington approved recreational cannabis. Even some states in the Deep South have given the go-ahead to medical marijuana.

Which states are voting on abortion? 

California, Michigan and Vermont are all considering questions that would amend their state constitutions to establish some form of a right to abortion.

Kentucky is asking voters whether to amend the state constitution to say it doesn't protect the right to an abortion.

Montana is asking voters whether to require medical care and treatment for infants born alive after an attempted abortion.

Slavery on the ballot in 5 U.S. states

Voters in five states are deciding whether to close loopholes that allowed convict labor as an exception to slavery. None will force immediate changes, though they could lead to legal challenges related to how states use prison labor. 

The effort is part of a national push to amend the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which banned enslavement or involuntary servitude except as a form of criminal punishment. 

Voters will decide whether to keep similar exceptions in state constitutions in Alabama, Louisiana, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont. One advocate says “we've never seen a single day in the United States where slavery was not legal.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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