It's crunch time for the midterm election season and a recent survey shows that major rulings in the Supreme Court, like the overturning of Roe v. Wade, will have an impact on if and how Americans vote this November.
In fact, half of voters polled by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) say that the Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade back on June 24, is motivating them to get out and vote on Nov. 8.
Eagerness to vote based on the issue of abortion and reproductive rights has increased to 50%, over the past few months – which is up from 43% in July, shortly after the court's ruling, and 37% in May after the draft opinion was leaked.
Of the respondents who say the ruling is prompting them to vote, a little over three quarters (76%) are planning to place their ballots for candidates who "want to protect access to abortion, compared to 17% who say they plan on voting for candidates who want to limit abortion access."
"Women's rights are being threatened now more than ever and I'll be damned if I stand by and let it happen," a 29-year-old woman, who identifies with the Democratic party and is based in Alabama, told KFF.
The most recent KFF survey was conducted online and by telephone in September, and 1,282 U.S. adults between the ages of 18 and 49 were reached.
Individuals were randomly chosen to participate through an automated system that pulled different addresses and telephone numbers from a database.
The 3 most important issues for voters this midterm election
For voters across the board, regardless of political party affiliation, a candidate's stance on these issues are of top priority:
- Economic issues (including inflation): 35%
- Abortion, Roe v. Wade and reproductive rights: 15%
- Immigration: 9%
Other ways reproductive rights are affecting voters' decisions
Abortion laws on a state level are also likely to be a deciding factor for many voters this election season.
40% say their state's abortion laws have encouraged them to head to the ballots next week.
According to the survey, here's the percentage of voters across all partisans who oppose prohibiting abortions, including in cases of rape or incest:
- Democratic voters: 89%
- Independent voters: 86%
- Republican voters: 70%
About half (51%) of all voters in states with an abortion ban – like Texas and Alabama – feel more motivated to vote due to their state's abortion laws.
And 83% of voters polled in states with full abortion bans say they oppose laws prohibiting abortion even in cases of rape and incest, which is the case for most states with full abortion bans.
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