Abortion a Big Issue in Tuesday's Voting

The most-watched races in Tuesday's off-year general election have been dominated by the ongoing debate over abortion rights. From a reelection bid for governor in Kentucky and a statewide ballot measure in Ohio, to state legislative elections in Virginia, access to abortion has been a frequent topic in campaign debates and advertising, as it has since the Supreme Court issued its decision in June last year overturning Roe vs. Wade. A look, via the AP:

• Kentucky governor: Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear seeks a second term in a heavily Republican state that Donald Trump carried twice. The GOP nominee is Daniel Cameron, who succeeded Beshear as state attorney general. Beshear has called the state's restrictive abortion law "extremist" for not allowing exceptions in cases of rape and incest. He also vetoed a proposal banning abortions after 15 weeks. Cameron says he supports the state law and that as governor he would sign a bill amending it to allow rape and incest exceptions. But at times he has had difficulty clarifying what exceptions he favors.

• Ohio amendment: Ohio voters will decide whether to amend the state constitution to protect access to abortion services. The measure would establish the right to "make and carry out one's own reproductive decisions" on matters including abortion, contraception, and fertility treatment. It would also allow for abortions to be banned once it has been established that the fetus can survive outside of the womb, unless a physician determines that continuing with the pregnancy would endanger the patient's "life or health."
• Virginia: Control of both chambers of Virginia's state Legislature is up for grabs, with Republicans holding a narrow majority in the state House and Democrats leading the state Senate. Either or both chambers could flip and possibly give Republicans full control of state government. That would clear the way for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin to implement a ban on abortions after 15 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest, and when the mother's life is endangered. Democratic candidates have campaigned heavily on the issue.

(More Election Day stories.)