Through the darkness, some rays of light

There is no getting around it: the 2024 election was a sweeping win for former President Donald Trump and his political allies. Trump's victory will impact people's lives across the country and the globe. For those who don't align with Trump's far-right ideology, this is a disturbing prospect.

But the federal government is not the only political institution that can positively or negatively impact people's lives. There is also a lot at stake at the state and local level. Today, state and local governments are largely responsible for educating children, prosecuting crime, and protecting reproductive rights. 

Looking down the ballot, the results of the 2024 election will mean higher wages, paid sick leave, and abortion access for millions of Americans. These wins do not negate the future impact of Trump's victory. Successes at the state level on Tuesday night, however, illustrate that Trump's victory does not foreclose the possibility of positive change. 

Here are some of the most significant results from the 2024 election that don't involve Trump:

Voters protect abortion rights in seven states

Voters in multiple states overwhelmingly passed ballot initiatives to protect reproductive rights. In Missouri, voters supported a measure to enshrine abortion rights until fetal viability into the state constitution, setting the stage to overturn one of the country’s strictest near-total abortion bans. The amendment passed with 51% of the vote, making Missouri the first state where voters chose to overturn a near-total abortion ban. The next step is for courts to be asked to overturn the ban, the AP reported.

In Arizona, voters passed an amendment to protect abortion rights until viability, replacing the state’s current law banning abortion after 15 weeks. Voters also passed amendments to protect reproductive rights in Colorado, Maryland, Montana, and New York. Nevada voters approved a ballot measure to protect abortion rights, but it will need to be approved again in 2026 in order for the state constitution to be amended. The approved ballot measures will protect reproductive rights for millions of people. In Florida, Amendment 4 secured 57% of the vote, but narrowly fell short of the required 60% to pass. 

Voters in three red states guarantee paid sick leave; two boost minimum wage

In three conservative states that Trump has carried in the last three elections — Missouri, Nebraska, and Alaska — voters decisively passed ballot measures to guarantee paid sick leave for workers. The 15 states that previously passed laws requiring paid sick leave are more liberal.

In Missouri and Alaska, the ballot initiatives also raised the states’ minimum wages. In Missouri, where minimum wage workers currently make $12.30 per hour, their pay will increase to $13.75 next year and $15 in 2026. Minimum wage workers in Alaska will see a gradual bump from the current $11.73 per hour to $15 by 2027. 

Three states vote to protect public school funding 

Voters in Kentucky and Nebraska both rejected ballot initiatives that would have allowed tax dollars to be spent on private and charter schools. School choice policies, which often take the form of vouchers that parents can spend on a school of their choosing for their children, have become popular among Republican lawmakers. But teachers unions and parents who are opposed to school choice policies say that vouchers largely benefit parents who are already sending their children to private schools and further drain already-strained public education budgets. Parent-teacher associations and teachers unions in both states have celebrated the failure of the school choice initiatives as a win for public schools. In Colorado, voters also shot down an effort to enshrine the right to school choice in the state’s constitution, a move seen by opponents as a pathway to a voucher system.

Florida voters reject school board politicization 

In Florida, voters rejected a ballot initiative that would have further politicized the state’s school boards. Amendment 1 would have required school board candidates to list their party affiliation on the ballot in future elections. Instead, school board elections will remain nonpartisan after voters rejected the measure with 45% of the vote. (Ballot initiatives in Florida need 60% of the vote to pass.)

If Amendment 1 had passed, millions of Florida voters would have been unable to vote in school board primary elections, as voters in Florida can only vote in a primary election if they are affiliated with a political party, HuffPost reported. This would have affected 30% of Florida voters.

Florida attorney suspended by DeSantis wins reelection 

In August 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) suspended State Attorney Monique Worrell (D), falsely claiming that she “neglect[ed] her duty to faithfully prosecute crime in her jurisdiction.” On Tuesday, Worrell won reelection. Worrell beat Andrew Bain, who DeSantis appointed to replace her after the suspension, with 57% of the vote. In a statement, Worrell celebrated her win, saying, “No governor’s petty political maneuvers and no amount of dark money can silence the voices of thousands who demand a fair, smart approach to justice over the failed, outdated policies of the past.” 

The truth about Monique Worrell

Voters elect first transgender member of Congress; send two Black women to the Senate 

Delaware voters made history by electing the country’s first out transgender member of Congress. Democrat Sarah McBride defeated Republican John Whalen by winning over 57% of the vote. McBride was also “the country’s first out transgender state senator.” McBride’s win comes after many Republicans campaigned heavily against transgender rights throughout the election cycle. McBride’s opponent endorsed the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which equates “transgender ideology” to pornography.

Also, for the first time in U.S. history, there will be two Black women in the U.S. Senate at the same time. In Delaware, Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester beat Republican Eric Hansen with 56% of the vote. In Maryland, Democrat Angela Alsobrooks earned 52% of the vote, defeating Republican Larry Hogan.