Michigan Says Yes, ND Says No to Recreational Pot

Michigan is going to have the first legal recreational marijuana in the Midwest. The Detroit Free Press projects a comfortable victory for the ballot proposal to make the state the 10th to legalize recreational pot. A similar measure in North Dakota, however, appears destined for defeat, though Legalize ND campaigners say they won't concede until all votes are counted—and if the measure does fail, they will try again in 2020, the Grand Forks Herald reports. In other ballot measures:

• Transgender rights. Voters in Massachusetts said yes to Question 3, which upholds a 2016 state law allowing transgender people to use the public facilities, including restrooms and locker rooms, of the gender they identify with, WBUR reports. The Yes on 3 campaign says the state is the first "to successfully defend transgender rights by popular vote."

• Fracking. Oil and gas interests in Colorado expressed relief after voters rejected Proposition 112, which would have required oil and gas wells to be located at least half a mile away from homes and other occupied buildings, the Denver Business Journal reports.
• Voting rights for felons. More than 60% of Florida voters voted in favor of a measure to restore voting rights to more than a million felons who have completed their sentences, reports CNN. The measure excludes murderers and sex offenders.
• Photo ID for voters. North Carolina and Arkansas voted to join 17 other states in requiring voters to show photo ID.
• Redistricting. Colorado and Michigan voted to reform redistricting by having it carried out by independent commissions instead of state legislatures.
• More marijuana. A measure to legalize recreational marijuana in Utah had what the Salt Lake Tribune calls a "commanding lead" early Wednesday. At a victory party, Christine Stenquist, founder of the advocacy group TRUCE Utah, predicted that the conservative state's decision would influence other states debating legalization. Missouri also voted to legalize medical marijuana Tuesday.
• Abortion. Alabama voters passed an amendment to the state constitution recognizing "the rights of unborn children, including the right to life," while West Virginia said yes to a measure banning Medicaid from funding abortions, the Los Angeles Times reports.
• Helping the homeless. In San Francisco, 60% of voters were in favor of the controversial Proposition C, which will tax big businesses to raise around $300 million a year to help homeless people, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

(More Election 2018 stories.)