Abortion will officially be on the ballot in Arizona, where residents will decide whether to enshrine it in its state constitution. As Arizona becomes a key battleground state critical in determining who the next president will be, will this give an advantage to Democrats? They hope so.
JP Martin, the deputy communications officer for the Arizona secretary of state's office, told NBC News on Monday evening that the Arizona for Abortion Access Act will go before voters this election cycle after advocates collected enough necessary signatures.
The secretary of state's office estimates that 577,971 valid signatures were turned in by Arizona for Abortion Access, a coalition of reproductive rights organizations that includes the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona. To appear on the ballot, the coalition needed to collect 383,923 signatures.
"This is a huge win for Arizona voters who will now get to vote YES on restoring and protecting the right to access abortion care, free from political interference, once and for all," Cheryl Bruce, campaign manager for Arizona for Abortion Access, said in a statement.
This isn't the first time Arizona has come into the spotlight during this election cycle, as the race in the state is critical to decide not only the next president of the U.S., but also the control of the Senate, as Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego faces Trump-ally Kari Lake.
Now, with abortion on the ballot, Democrats are hoping disappointment over Roe v. Wade's overturning will drive higher turnout in their favor.
Democrats have leveraged unhappiness over Roe's demise into gains in elections up and down the ballot over the last two years, according to The New York Times. More young women in particular have shifted toward the party, a demographic that Democrats hope will prove critical in November, and the party's nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, has campaigned energetically on her support for abortion rights.
At the same time, previous polls show Arizonans overwhelmingly supporting the expansion of abortion access in the state.
Back in May, CBS News conducted a poll among 1,5000 Arizona adults, with about 1,200 of those being registered Arizona voters. The poll asked these voters if they thought the near-total abortion ban in the state should have been repealed, with 72% saying yes and 28% responding it should remain on the books.
Similarly, when asked if they would vote to support a ballot measure to make abortion a constitutional right in Arizona, 65% of likely voters said they would, while 21% said they would not vote for such a measure, and 14% not being sure.
The constitutional amendment voters will be casting their ballots on in November would create a "fundamental right" to receive abortion cate up until viability, or about the 24th week of pregnancy, with exceptions after that if a healthcare professional decides it's needed to "protect the life or physical mental health of the pregnant individual."
Opponents of the measure have focused on the potential broad application of the mental health exception, arguing that it would make it far too easy to end viable pregnancies. Under current Arizona law, abortion is legal up until the 15th week of pregnancy, with an exception after that to save the woman's life and no exception after that for rape or incest.
With the official addition of the amendment to the ballot, Arizona joins Nevada, Florida, South Dakota, Colorado, New York and Maryland for the states where reproductive rights in November will be left up to the voters to decide.
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