Idaho voters rejected Proposition 1, the ballot initiative that sought to legalize abortion in the state up to fetal viability or in emergencies, and would have enumerated rights to other types of reproductive healthcare. The Associated Press called the race at 12:35 a.m. Wednesday.
The voter-led ballot initiative received 43.68% of the vote, or 286,909 votes in the 2026 general election, as of 2:37 a.m. on Wednesday. More than 56.32% voted against it, early results showed. The proposition needed a simple majority of votes to pass.
Idahoans United for Women and Families, the group formed to author and support the initiative, conceded that it did not pass in a press release sent just after 12:20 a.m.
“This is a tremendous, frankly gutting, loss, especially for the women, families, and physicians of Idaho,” Melanie Folwell, executive director of Idahoans United for Women and Families, said in a press release. “We will see more doctors leave the state as a result of this election. And, most urgently, women will continue to suffer needlessly under one of the most cruel abortion bans in the nation.”
Election officials were still counting ballots early into Wednesday morning. Idaho’s election results do not become official until they are certified by the Idaho State Board of Canvassers, which meets Nov. 24.
The initiative would’ve repealed Idaho’s strict abortion ban, which outlaws nearly all abortions, except to prevent the death of the mother or in cases of rape and incest in the first trimester when a police report is provided. Idaho’s ban carries felony prison sentences and licensing penalties for doctors who perform abortions outside of the exemptions, as well as possible civil lawsuits for a minimum of $20,000.
Opponents of the ballot initiative argue that it is the state’s prerogative to protect fetuses’ lives, and that Idaho’s exemptions are sufficient to protect the mother’s life. The Idaho GOP, the Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise strongly opposed the initiative. Opponents formed a group called Stop Prop 1 in response to the proposed initiative.
“The people of Idaho have spoken,” Stop Prop 1 communications director Mary Strow said in a press release. “They saw through the smokescreen of deception and barrage of out-of-state funded ads that sought to rewrite our laws and reshape our values. Idaho is and will always be a state that values life and protects the unborn.”
Idahoans United for Women and Families formed in 2024 to explore ways to restore abortion access in the state in response to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, which triggered Idaho’s bans.
Idahoans United in July turned in nearly 110,000 signatures to the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office to qualify for the 2026 general election ballot. In Idaho, to qualify for the general election, supporters must collect signatures from at least 6% of the registered voters statewide and from at least 6% of the registered voters in at least 18 of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts. To achieve the 6% statewide total, supporters needed 70,725 verified signatures.
Its supporters argued Idaho’s laws were overreaching and potentially dangerous for pregnant women, and led to the state losing OB-GYNs. The petition to get the initiative on the ballot included signatures from Idaho voters across party lines.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, voters in 17 states have voted on ballot measures regarding abortion, KFF reported. Since 2022, ballot measures to restore access to abortion failed in three states — Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota. Similar measures passed in 11 other states, and measures to curtail abortion access failed in three states.
The campaigns for and against the proposed ballot measure collected millions of dollars. Idahoans United for Women and Families political action committee collected more than $5.8 million and spent more than $2 million to support the measure, state campaign finance data showed as of Tuesday.
Opponents of the initiative formed the PAC Too Extreme for Idaho, which raised nearly $4.7 million and spent more than $4.2 million, campaign finance reporting showed Tuesday.
