Dems Hope Abortion Message Will Turn Out Voters in November

Abortion is on the ballot in seven states this November, and Democrats are hoping they can use the issue to turn out voters across the country. In the swing states of Nevada and Arizona especially, the referendums could make a difference.

Democrats have made abortion rights a central message since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, with Vice President and Democratic nominee for president Kamala Harris using it as a rallying cry for her campaign.

Harris has long been an advocate of abortion rights and was the first vice president (or president) to visit an abortion clinic in March 2024. Unlike Biden, who seemed to be personally uncomfortable discussing abortion, Harris speaks about the consequences of abortion bans without pause.

Abortion has been an issue for Harris’ opponent, Donald Trump. It was the three justices appointed by Trump who were key to overturning Roe v. Wade, something which continues to follow the former president around.

After Roe was overturned, fourteen states enacted abortion bans at all stages of pregnancy. Half of all states allow abortions up to 24 weeks – commonly referred to as viability – or later, with limited exceptions.

Each time the question of abortion has been put directly before voters, in California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, and Vermont, abortion rights groups have prevailed and established protection for the procedure. It is the hope of the left that voters are passionate enough about the issue that they will head to the ballot box in support of laws – and candidates – that protect the right to abortion.

Polling suggests that voters are increasingly swinging in favor of the Democratic position on abortion: A rising number of Americans support access to abortions for any reason. A July poll from the Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed that 61% of adults want their state to allow abortion for any reason, up from 49% before Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Broken down by political party, there has been a nine-point jump among Republicans in favor of unrestricted abortion access, an 11-point rise among independents, and a 14-point increase among Democrats. When parsed out by gender, there was an eight-point growth among men and a 17-point bump among women.

Respondents did, however, support restrictions on abortion when asked specifically about whether the procedure should be allowed at different points in a pregnancy. Three in four (76%) American adults think their state should allow abortion at six weeks, over half (54%) support access to the procedure at 15 weeks, and just 30% think abortion should be legal at 24 weeks.

In both Arizona and Nevada, the ballot measures on abortion would protect access to abortion for any reason whatsoever until “fetal viability,” or 24 weeks, or later in the pregnancy in cases where it is necessary to protect the life or health of the pregnant woman.

While these ballot measures are unpopular in theory, even decidedly red states like Kansas and Ohio voted to protect abortion until 22 weeks and 21 weeks, respectively. Hundreds of thousands of voters in both Arizona and Nevada signed petitions to ensure abortion would be on the ballot this November. Whether that same number of voters will turn out, and turn out blue, is yet to be seen.