July 14, 2026
(Boise, Idaho) – The Idaho Secretary of State’s Office announced today that the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act initiative has met the statutory requirements to appear on the November 3, 2026, General Election ballot. The Idaho Medical Cannabis Act initiative did not qualify for the November ballot after failing to submit the required number of valid petition signatures, both in total number of signatures and required legislative districts.
The Secretary of State’s Office issued a letter of acceptance to organizers of the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act initiative, certifying that the initiative met the required threshold of valid petition signatures with a total of 75,478 signatures submitted across 20 legislative districts. This satisfies the statutory geographic distribution requirement by obtaining valid signatures equal to at least 6 percent of registered voters in no fewer than 18 legislative districts. Idaho county clerks verified petition signatures before the initiative was submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office for final review and certification.
The Attorney General’s official title and summary of the initiative are as follows:
Short Title:
MEASURE CREATING RIGHT TO ABORTION BEFORE FETUS VIABILITY, AND POST-VIABILITY TO PROTECT HEALTH; RIGHT TO PRIVACY; HEALTHCARE PROVIDER LIABILITY PROTECTIONS.
General Title:
The measure seeks to change Idaho’s laws by introducing a right to reproductive freedom and privacy including a right to abortion up to the point of the fetus’s ability to survive outside the womb. After fetal viability, there would be no general right to abortion except in cases of “medical emergency.” The “medical emergency” exception would expand Idaho’s current life exception and allow abortions when pregnant women face complicating physical conditions that threaten their life or health, “including serious impairment to a bodily function” or “serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part.”
The proposed measure codifies a right to make reproductive decisions, including contraception, fertility treatment, and prenatal and postpartum care. This includes a “right of privacy” in making these decisions. The measure seeks to prevent the state from enforcing certain abortion laws protecting the life of the unborn child. It would also impose a requirement that any restrictions on reproductive decisions, including abortion prior to fetus viability, must be “narrowly tailored to improve or maintain the health of the person seeking reproductive health care.” The measure would also prevent the state from penalizing patients, healthcare providers, or anyone who assists in exercising the proposed right.
Pro and con arguments regarding the initiative may be submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office until midnight, Mountain Time on July 20, 2026. Arguments may be submitted via online form at https://forms.sos.idaho.gov/pro-con/.
Before the general election, Idaho voters will receive a voter pamphlet containing the full initiative language and selected pro- and con arguments. More information about the initiative process is available at https://voteidaho.gov/initiatives-amendments/.
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About Phil McGrane
Phil McGrane was elected Idaho’s twenty-eighth Secretary of State and took office on January 2, 2023. McGrane served as elected Clerk of Ada County from 2019-2022. McGrane holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy, a juris doctorate, and a Master of Public Administration. As a fourth-generation Idahoan, Phil has dedicated his career to making elections in the state of Idaho accessible, secure and transparent.
