Turnout of Democratic women could dampen without Michigan abortion ballot measure

Inflation is more likely to be a focus if abortion rights are deemed to be safe.

By Jon King, Michigan Advance

Reproductive rights advocates in Michigan may be the victims of their own success when it comes to electing Democrats in November.

A new poll of women voters released Thursday by KFF, a nonprofit health policy research, polling and news organization, shows that reproductive rights is boosting Democratic women’s eagerness to vote in states with potential abortion-related ballot initiatives. However, states like Michigan, in which abortion rights were enshrined by voters in the state constitution in 2022, women are less motivated to vote.

“The greater motivation to vote among Democratic women voters in states that may have ballot initiatives occurs even though they are no more satisfied with President [Joe] Biden’s job performance than Democratic women voters in states without similar initiatives – a sign that the ballot issues may be driving interest,” stated a news release.

That could spell trouble for Biden in those states this November, as well as other Democrats on the ballot, who are counting on high turnout among their supporters.

The national KFF Survey of Women Voters, and companion surveys in Arizona and Michigan, were conducted online and by telephone May 23 through June 5 among a nationally representative sample of 3,102 U.S. women registered voters in English and Spanish. Separate samples of 928 registered women voters in Arizona and 876 registered women voters in Michigan were also polled, with a margin of error ranging between 3 and 5%.