A recent poll pretty much demonstrates the problems Democrats face in getting elected in a nutshell, and winning this November. Our ideas are popular. Poll after poll shows our positions on abortion, minimum wage, and gun control are popular. The problem is that even though they are popular, people still can’t be bothered to vote for them.
Take the issue of abortion. The Washington Post-Schar School poll shows that clear majorities say that the overturning of Roe v. Wade represents a major loss of rights for women in America. Sixty-five percent of respondents said yes to that question as opposed to only 35% who said it did not.
Furthermore: “Fully 58 percent of the country supports a federal law establishing the right to an abortion before a fetus can survive outside the womb, the standard the Supreme Court enshrined for nearly 50 years and overturned last month. And almost a third of Americans say abortion will be one of the “single most important” issues shaping their midterm vote. That’s less than the 39 percent calling rising prices a top issue but higher than the 23 percent citing crime and 20 percent citing immigration.”
But the bottom line is, are these majorities going to show up at the polls this November and vote for Democrats to secure these rights. Sadly the answer appears to be maybe.
But the poll also provides evidence of an enthusiasm problem for Democrats: Those who reject the idea that the court’s ruling is a loss for women are 18 percentage points more likely to express certainty they will vote in the midterms — 70 percent compared with 52 percent of those who do see such a loss, according to the Post-Schar School poll conducted July 22 to 24.
A clear 70% of anti-abortionists are going to make it a point to vote this November, but only 52% of pro-choice people can be bothered to vote. Furthermore, the poll showed that women in general, and in particular, women under 40 are more uncertain they will vote than other groups. Only 1 in 3 women under 40, the group most certain to be impacted by anti-abortion laws, is certain they will vote in the mid-terms this year.
What’s more, both Republicans and anti-abortion opponents are more certain they will vote this year. So the question is, what can we do to translate are popular ideas to actual votes?