Focus group: Florida swing voters confused by abortion amendment
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Florida swing voters say abortion rights will influence their vote in November, but they find the ballot question's wording unclear, according to our latest focus group with Engagious/Sago.
Why it matters: The language used in the referendum left some voters confused and thus unwilling to support it, even those who consider themselves "pro-choice."
- Republicans in Florida have leveraged that confusion to make false claims that the referendum allows abortion "until the moment of birth."
Between the lines: While a focus group is not a statistically significant sample like a poll, the responses show how some voters are thinking and talking about current events.
- The Florida focus group of 13 voters — who voted for Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020 — included five Democrats, three Republicans and five independents.
Driving the news: Seven participants said they would lean toward a candidate that supports abortion and would be hesitant to vote for one that wants to limit access to the procedure.
- Still, most participants found the abortion ballot question vague and expressed particular confusion with its use of the term "viability."
- Five would vote in favor of the ballot question as it is, while six more would do so if it were clearer that it allowed abortion up to 24 weeks.
The fine print: The amendment reads, "No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient's health, as determined by the patient's healthcare provider."
- Fetal viability is generally around 24-28 weeks of pregnancy, according to the National Library of Medicine.
What they're saying: "I can't say if I would vote for or against [ballot question] without knowing all of the other things that would surround that," said participant Dana K. "It's kind of a loaded sentence."
- "I think before viability is not clear enough," participant Andrew N said.
Flashback: The state's Attorney General Ashley Moody urged the Florida Supreme Court to block the referendum, arguing that "viability" has multiple meanings.
- The court dismissed that argument, ruling that voters can "see and decide for themselves" if the language is clear enough to merit their approval.
The big picture: Abortion rights have won every time they've been on a ballot since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, but other states required a smaller threshold of support than Florida.
- The abortion referendum needs support from 60% of voters to succeed.