US election also ruled on drugs, abortion, gambling and even slavery

It was not just to elect senators, representatives and governors that Americans went to the polls on Tuesday (8), with the midterms, the midterm elections of the United States. From abortion to hallucinogenic mushrooms to sports betting and slavery, a range of topics appeared at the polls.

The big issue in the American election race this year was access to abortion, which guaranteed not only victories for Democratic candidates in Congress, but also the approval of reproductive rights even in more conservative states. The procedure was allowed in the country by the Supreme Court until June, when the court reviewed the decision and opened space for states to legislate on the matter.

Noteworthy is the victory in Kentucky, where lawmakers wanted to pass an amendment saying that the state constitution does not allow access to abortion or fundraising for it. In the state that has voted largely in favor of every GOP presidential candidate since George W. Bush in 2000, a majority of voters rejected the amendment.

In Montana, which since 1968 has only voted once for a Democratic candidate (Bill Clinton, in 1992), the defense of women’s rights has also been victorious. The majority of the population rejected a referendum to criminalize health services that do not make every possible effort to save even babies “born during an abortion attempt.” In places like California, Vermont and Michigan, traditionally more progressive, the victory in the theme was already more expected.

Access to drugs also appeared in a number of states. In Colorado, voters have legalized the cultivation and use of hallucinogenic mushrooms, according to projections — the poll was not completed, but opponents of the idea conceded defeat. The measure does not allow the commercial exploitation of mushrooms, but the creation of centers for the use of the substance regulated by the government, which are expected to open from the second half of 2023. It is the second state to legalize the use of mushrooms, after Oregon, who did it in 2020.

In the West of the USA, Colorado has a tradition of liberality in relation to drugs. Possession of small amounts of marijuana was decriminalized in 1975, medical use was approved in 2000, and recreational use in 2012.

Marijuana was also at issue in these midterms, but there were some defeats inflicted on the liberalization movement. Voters in Maryland and Missouri voted in favor of legalizing the possession and use of the weed, but those in Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota voted against.

“Poll after poll shows record public support for legalizing adult marijuana use,” Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (Norml) said in a statement. “This support is proof that most Americans are now well aware of the flaws of marijuana prohibition and the harm it continues to do, and that the growing number of states that have enacted legalization are doing so safely and effectively, according to voters’ wishes and expectations.”

In four states—Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont—voters passed a ban on slavery. The idea seems out of place in 2022 because slavery was abolished in the US in 1863 after the Civil War. But in many states, forced labor by prisoners was still permitted — seen as a form of slavery. Louisiana, the center of the slave trade in the US south until the 19th century, rejected the exclusion of inmates from forced labor.

On the environmental front, California rejected a tax increase for the wealthiest population that would have been intended to encourage the electric car industry. The state also rejected the legalization of online sports betting and banned the sale of flavored cigarettes.

Another strong theme at the polls this week was the elections themselves. As in the United States there is no central authority regulating the functioning of elections as the Superior Electoral Court does in Brazil, it is up to each state to draw up its rules, which often undergo scrutiny.

The state of Connecticut, for example, approved the possibility of voting in advance, not just on election day — which is already allowed in almost the entire country. Michigan, where voting by mail was already allowed, has approved that voters can cast their ballots at the polls nine days before the election.

In Arizona, still without a defined outcome, the election included questions about the requirement that voters write their identity number and date of birth on their ballots by mail. Activists for the expansion of access to the vote say that this type of requirement can create more difficulties, especially for less educated minorities. In the same vein, Nebraska approved the need to present ID at the time of voting, and Ohio banned the vote of people without US citizenship.

Nevada may have a relevant change in the choice of its representatives. The result is not out yet, but voters went to the polls to vote on a change to the primary system, where voters could choose candidates from any party. Furthermore, at the polls, voters, instead of choosing who they want to govern, rank their preferences from 1 to 5, and the best placed are elected. This ranking system exists in Alaska today.