As attention turns to the results of the US midterm elections and the battle for control of Congress, ballot boxes have revealed other shifts across the states, with governors making history and constitutional amendments approved on reproductive rights, marriage, voting and redistricting.
In Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman to be elected governor of a US state, while Amy Acton returned the Democrats to the Ohio governor's office after a 20-year absence. In New Mexico, Deb Haaland was elected the first Native American woman to lead a state.
The changes were not limited to the names of the winners. Virginia voters approved three constitutional amendments concerning reproductive freedom, marriage equality and voting rights, while Maryland passed an amendment changing the constitutional rules governing congressional redistricting.
Gubernatorial elections were held in 36 US states, home to around 80 percent of the country's population, according to the Associated Press's election coverage. The contests included battleground states whose governors will play a role in implementing federal policies and overseeing certain aspects of the 2028 presidential election.
One of the most significant shifts came in Georgia, where Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican businessman Rick Jackson, becoming the first Black woman ever elected governor of any of the 50 US states and the first woman to hold the office in Georgia.
Her victory ended Republican control of the governorship, which had continued since Sonny Perdue took office in 2003. It also returned Democrats to the state's executive branch, a position they had lost after their last electoral victory in 1998.
The result carries additional significance given that Stacey Abrams, the first Black woman nominated by a major party for governor, failed to win Georgia in both the 2018 and 2022 elections. According to Reuters, Abrams's campaigns were part of voter mobilization efforts that helped make the state more politically competitive.
In Ohio, Democratic physician Amy Acton defeated Republican businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who was backed by President Donald Trump. Acton became the first woman elected governor of the state, having risen to prominence as its public health director during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her victory marks a shift in party control of the office, as Ohio voters had not elected a Democratic governor since 2006. Associated Press coverage showed that the cost of living and healthcare affordability were among the central issues in the race, alongside disagreements over pandemic response measures.
In New Mexico, Democrat Deb Haaland made history with her gubernatorial victory, becoming the first Native American woman elected to lead a US state.
A member of the Laguna Pueblo community, Haaland was previously among the first Native American women elected to Congress. She later became the first Native American to serve in a Cabinet-level position in the federal government, when she was appointed Secretary of the Interior under the Joe Biden administration. Local election coverage declared her the winner over Republican Greg Hall.
However, not all the results pointed in the same partisan direction. In Florida, Republicans retained the governorship with the election of Byron Donalds, who became the first Black governor in the state's history and the first Black Republican elected governor of a US state, according to Reuters.
Alongside the gubernatorial elections, Americans voted on legal and constitutional amendments that were no less significant than the results of the partisan races. These ballot measures establish rights and rules that are difficult for legislative authorities to change later without new constitutional procedures.
In Virginia, voters approved three amendments to the state constitution covering the protection of reproductive freedom, the affirmation of marriage equality and the automatic restoration of voting rights for people convicted of felonies upon their release from prison.
The first amendment protects individuals' right to make decisions concerning pregnancy, including abortion, contraception and fertility treatment, while allowing for the regulation of restrictions in the later stages of pregnancy. This shifts such protections from the legislative level to the constitutional level, making them more difficult to amend.
The second amendment removes an earlier provision from Virginia's constitution that limited marriage to a man and a woman. It also affirms that marriage between two adults cannot be denied on the basis of sex, gender or race.
The third amendment provides for the automatic restoration of voting rights upon release from prison, rather than making their reinstatement dependent on an individual decision by the governor. According to Virginia's election results, all three amendments were approved by voters and are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027.
In Maryland, voters approved Question 3, which concerns the constitutional rules governing the drawing of districts for the US House of Representatives.
The amendment does not directly redraw the districts. Instead, it clarifies that certain constitutional standards governing districts for the state legislature do not necessarily apply to congressional districts. It also allows lawmakers to grant the state's Supreme Court original jurisdiction over challenges to congressional district maps.
This could give the Democratic-controlled legislature greater room to approve a new map, as Maryland's post-vote coverage explained. However, changing the map itself requires separate legislation and does not automatically follow from the referendum result.
These results reflect another dimension of the 2026 elections. The issue is not simply how seats are divided between Democrats and Republicans, but also who controls executive power in the states, how residents' rights are defined, and how the rules governing political competition will be shaped in the years ahead.
