Abortion ballot measure in Arizona could drive turnout as Biden campaigns hard on reproductive rights

Alex Cunningham/Cronkite News Published: July, 3.

WASHINGTON – Democrats are banking on abortion as their saving grace in Arizona, where President Joe Biden won by just 10,000 votes in 2020 and currently lags Donald Trump in their rematch.

Arizona for Abortion Access, a coalition that includes the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, submitted a stack of 800,000 signatures Wednesday morning to get an initiative in front of voters in November.

That’s one in five registered voters.

The measure would protect access to abortion through fetal viability. In the two years since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, similar ballot initiatives have bolstered Democrats in red, blue and purple states.

Particularly after Biden’s weak debate performance last week, Arizona Democrats hope the abortion measure will mobilize their voters and boost their chances in crucial presidential and Senate contests that top the ballot.

In a June poll of female Arizona voters from KFF, 60% of Democrats said they’re more likely to vote in November with the abortion measure on the ballot, as would 52% of independents and 37% of Republican women.

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