In Florida, voters were unable to reach the 60% majority mark for an abortion rights amendment in the 2024 elections, and the outcome has sparked reactions across social media. The amendment aimed to protect abortion access before viability. However, it failed to meet the 60% threshold for passing, leading many to voice concerns for the 60% majority threshold.
An X user called the rule:
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"the 60% rule is absolutely horrific and completely eviscerates the point of a democracy at the state level, nonetheless the federal level... absolutely putrid abuse of power"
Another user condemned the 60% rule by saying:
"Florida DID NOT reject the abortion ballot measure. A substantial majority of voters APPROVED it. It came 2% short of the 60% needed. 58% is a majority. If a presidential candidate got 58% we’d call it a landslide. Call bad journalists on their bullsh*t"
Yet another user critized the 60% rule by posting the poll results. They said:
"The 60% rule is crazy. No matter how you feel on any of the amendments, the majority should rule."
Echoing similar concerns about the rule, another user wrote:
"Used to be majority to put it in the constitution, then we got the 60% rule, always the plan for the right wing kooks to take Florida backwards."
Florida's abortion rights
The recent ballot outcome in Florida ensures the continuation of the state's six-week abortion ban. This policy replaces the previous 15-week restriction that was enacted in May.
As a result, abortion access has become significantly limited in the South, where other Republican-controlled states have also implemented similar bans or strict regulations.
Abortion rights advocates had hoped for a reversal, investing over $100 million into efforts to change the law, but their attempts were unsuccessful.
The proposed amendment sought to enshrine protections for abortion up to the point of fetal viability—approximately 24 weeks—directly in Florida's constitution. This would have prevented the state from enacting any laws that would "prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict" abortion access before that stage.
It’s important to note that similar ballot initiatives have generally succeeded in other states since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade. However, that trend has now been disrupted by the efforts of Governor Ron DeSantis’s administration.
Earlier this year, the state attorney general attempted to prevent the measure from qualifying for the ballot but was unsuccessful.
In Florida, any initiative must first be reviewed by the state’s Supreme Court before it can be approved for the ballot.
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