Nearly 4 in 10 say Roe v. Wade overturning made them much more interested in voting: poll

Thirty-eight percent of voters said the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade made them much more interested in voting this year, an 8-point increase from when the question was asked as a hypothetical in September, according to a new poll.

The poll — conducted by Emerson College in partnership with All In Together, a nonpartisan women’s civic engagement organization — found that 56 percent of respondents said the court’s decision made them at least somewhat more interested in voting in this year’s midterm elections.

Eight percent said it made them less interested, and one-third said it made no difference.

The court’s decision last week to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, ending the country’s constitutional right to abortion, has fueled intense anger for many, with liberals hoping the ruling will galvanize voters to support Democrats.

The decision has already led to major advertisement buys from groups like Planned Parenthood, which rolled out a $3 million campaign on Thursday hitting Pennsylvania Republican Senate nominee Mehmet Oz over his stance on abortion access. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), who is in a tough reelection battle, also on Thursday launched an abortion-related television ad.

The Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has led to a flurry of lawsuits in states across the country seeking to stop abortion restrictions that took effect in its wake.

The poll found that more than two-thirds of respondents who said they were much more interested in voting this year — 68 percent — supported the generic Democratic congressional candidate.

Among women, the poll found a 10-point swing for those saying they were much more interested in voting in the midterms because of the Supreme Court’s decision compared to September. Among women aged 18 to 29, the swing increased to 20 points.

Just 5 percent of women said the court’s decision would make them less interested in voting in the 2022 elections, compared to 60 percent who said it would make them more interested.

The poll of registered voters was conducted on June 28 and 29. The pollsters weighted the responses using turnout modeling for the midterm elections, and the margin of error is plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.