Elections will be held in some US states on Tuesday, where they will vote for new state assemblies, governors, judges, mayors, or voters will have their say on issues such as abortion.
The issue of the right to terminate a pregnancy has been a major issue in campaigns from Kentucky to Ohio to Virginia.
Here's how the abortion issue affected the most important election races.
Kentucky gubernatorial election
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear is running for a second term in a state won twice by Donald Trump. His opponent is the Republican Daniel Cameron, who succeeded Beshir as state prosecutor.
Beshear called Kentucky's restrictive abortion law "extremist," because termination of pregnancy is not allowed even in cases of rape and incest. He also vetoed a bill defending abortion after the 15th week.
Cameron, on the other hand, supports the state law, but also says that as governor he would support the right to abortion in cases of incest and rape - so it's unclear what exactly he stands for.
Beshir currently leads by half a percent. Cameron has the support of Trump.
Ohio's Abortion Constitutional Amendment
Ohio voters will vote on an amendment to the state constitution protecting abortion rights.
The amendment establishes the right for "everyone to make decisions about their own reproduction", which includes abortion, contraception and infertility treatment.
In a referendum in August, voters rejected a proposal that makes access to abortion more difficult. That vote drew a lot of attention nationally because it was seen as a micro-level fight for reproductive rights.
Elections for the House of Representatives in Virginia
Both houses of the Virginia state assembly are up for election on Tuesday. Republicans currently have a majority in the lower house, while the Senate is led by Democrats.
If Republicans win a majority in the House, they will have complete control of that state. This will mean that Republican Governor Glenn Jankin will be able to more easily apply the ban on abortion after the 15th week, with the exception of rape, incest and endangering the life of the mother.
It was one of the main issues for the Democrats in the campaign.
The elections in Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia are rated as the most important, but they are not the only ones - a total of 12 states are voting. The Associated Press agency singled out the following races as interesting.
Election for governor of Mississippi
Republican Governor Tate Reeves is running against Democrat Brandon Presley, Elvis Presley's cousin.
Republicans have held the governorship in that state for the past 20 years. Presley, with the help of the party at the national level, managed to raise almost as much campaign money as the current governor.
Elections for judges in Pennsylvania
Republican Carolyn Carluccio and Democrat Danielle McCaffrey are running for a vacant seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
The seat is significant because the Supreme Court can play an important role in resolving voting issues ahead of the 2024 presidential campaign.
Mayors
In Houston, Texas, as many as 17 candidates are looking to take over Democrat Slivester Turner's seat.
In Juvalde, where 19 children and two teachers were killed in the elementary school last year, among the candidates is the mother of the girl killed in that massacre, former journalist Kimberly Mata Rubio.
In New York, Yusef Salam also ran for city council member from the ninth district - one of the five unjustly convicted and then acquitted African-Americans, who were found guilty of raping a girl in Central Park and were acquitted years later.
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
