Democrats had one of their best Election Days in decades on Tuesday, but a series of ballot measures across the country showed that conservative positions still resonate with voters on issues ranging from transgender policies to voter ID and income taxes.
Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, securing 253 House seats to Republicans’ 157 as of Friday and a 54–44 advantage in the Senate, where Democratic candidates led in both uncalled races.
But look past the races for Congress, and conservatives had several wins of their own.
For example, voters in all four states that considered measures barring biologically male students from competing in girls’ school sports approved them.
Arizona’s Proposition 318 passed with about 59 percent of the vote. It requires schools and athletic associations to restrict access to restrooms, locker rooms, showers and other private spaces based on the sex listed on a person’s original birth certificate. It also removes a provision that allowed girls to compete on boys’ interscholastic and intramural teams.
Colorado’s Proposition 134 drew 52 percent support and requires students who compete on sex-designated teams in K–12 schools and colleges to play on teams that match their sex, as defined by their reproductive biology.
Nebraska’s Initiative Measure 442 passed with 68 percent of the vote and amends the state constitution to require schools to designate athletic teams and sports as male, female or coed based on biological sex. It bars male students from competing on teams or in sports designated for female students.
Washington’s Initiative 638 passed with about 57 percent of the vote. It requires school districts and nonprofits that oversee interscholastic sports to bar biologically male students from competing in girls’ events when separate boys’ and girls’ competitions are offered. Students seeking to compete in girls’ sports must submit documentation from a health care provider verifying their sex, defined by biological factors.
Colorado voters also approved Proposition 135, which prohibits certain gender-transition surgeries for minors and bars government funding and insurance coverage for those procedures, according to KUNC. It passed with about 52 percent of the vote.
Voter ID also found support, with voters in Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio approving constitutional amendments requiring voter identification. Nevada’s Question 7 passed with about 62 percent of the vote and requires photo ID for in-person voting and an identifying number —a driver’s license or Social Security number —for mail ballots. About 60 percent of North Carolina voters backed a photo ID requirement for both in-person and mail voting. In Ohio, about 65 percent supported Issue 3, which requires photo ID at the polls.
Finally, voters in Iowa and North Carolina approved constitutional amendments limiting lawmakers’ ability to raise income taxes. Iowa’s Amendment 1 passed with about 56 percent of the vote and requires a two-thirds vote in each legislative chamber to raise individual or corporate income tax rates or create a new income tax. In North Carolina, about 62 percent of voters backed an amendment lowering the constitutional cap on personal and corporate income tax rates from 7 percent to 3.5 percent beginning in 2027.
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Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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