The Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade is motivating voters—specifically Democratic and women voters—yet another poll confirms. Take this as one more piece of evidence that Democratic candidates absolutely should be focusing on abortion and other rights Republicans want to take away.
The survey in question is KFF’s tracking poll, which finds that 50% of voters say the court’s decision made them more motivated to vote in November’s midterm election. Among women aged 18 to 49, it’s 59%. Among Black voters, it’s 62%. And this is definitely not a case where Democrats and Republicans are both equally motivated for opposite reasons: 69% of Democrats said Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization made them more motivated to vote, while just 32% of Republicans said the same.
The Supreme Court shows how important it is for Democrats to control the Senate. Can you chip in $5 to each of these critical races?
RELATED STORY: Abortion: The wedge issue pushing blue-collar white women away from Republicans
What’s striking is that the overall number of voters who say the court’s abortion decision is motivating them to vote keeps going up. It’s gone up seven percentage points since July (the court’s decision was June 24) and 13 points since May (the draft of the decision leaked in early May). It’s almost like as people see the effects of the change, they feel more strongly about it.
This is not just a blue-state phenomenon. We keep hearing from Republicans that the Supreme Court decision lets things be decided in the states—but states with harsh abortion bans are not following the will of their voters. KFF found 55% of voters in states with abortion bans opposed six-week abortion bans, and the levels of opposition go up from there, with 83% of voters in states with abortion bans opposed to abortion bans that don’t have exceptions for rape or incest.
Abortion trailed the economy in the poll as the issue the most voters wanted to hear about, with 52% of Republican voters listing the economy first. But it’s clear that abortion is a strong motivator for people Democrats very much need to be getting out to vote.
Sign if you agree: A vote for Republicans is a vote to ban abortion.
Abortion rights, gun safety, and the our planet are all at stake in this election. We must persuade Democratic voters to turn out in November. Click here to volunteer with Vote Forward and write personalized letters to targeted voters on your own schedule from the comfort of your own home, without ever having to talk to anyone.
RELATED STORIES:
Democrats are betting their House majority on abortion. It's the best bet they have
White House marks 100 days of Republican-led abortion bans after Supreme Court ruling
Good judges are more important now than ever. In some states, judges are on the ballot this November. In this episode of The Downballot, we shine a spotlight on elections for state supreme courts: actor and activist Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Together, Daily Kos and Julia are proud to announce their endorsement of seven Democratic candidates running for closely divided courts in Michigan, North Carolina, and Ohio. You can support this slate by going to JusticewithJulia.com and donating today.
