(WSVN) - In November, Floridians will not only voice their choice for president but will also decide on two major issues; a woman’s right to an abortion and whether recreational marijuana should be legal in Florida.
7News teamed up with Suffolk University Boston and USA TODAY to see how Florida residents feel about the proposed amendments.
According to an exclusive 7News/Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll, the push for abortion rights is close, but is not quite there yet.
“The abortion question hasn’t quite hit that 60% threshold,” said David Paleologos, director of Suffolk University Political Research Center.
For Florida voters, the abortion issue will appear as Amendment 4 on their ballots. A “yes” vote would limit government interference in abortion procedures and effectively nullify Florida’s current six week ban.
7News asked 500 likely Florida voters “do you support a woman’s constitutional right to abortion?”
Fifty-eight percent who were asked said “yes,” and 35% said “no.”
As it stands, the amendment would fall two points short of passing.
But what effect could this highly charged issue have on other races?
“Question is, will the tail wag the dog, will the question impact the presidential race? Usually it’s the other way around,” Paleologos said.
Former President Donald Trump has taken credit for picking three of the Supreme Court justices who ultimately overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. But he’s downplaying the significance on the campaign trail.
“So I think the abortion issue is written, very much tampered down,” Trump said. “For 52 years, they wanted to bring abortion back to the states. They wanted to get rid of Roe v. Wade, and that’s Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, and everybody.”
His Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, is hitting back.
“Now, in more than 20 states, there is a Trump abortion ban, many with no exceptions even for rape and incest,” Harris said. “And be sure, if he were to win, he would sign a national abortion ban.”
7News’ exclusive poll found that the issue don’t fall neatly down party lines.
“Who makes the difference in these votes? Independents,” Paleologos said. “We know independent women don’t like Donald Trump and they’re voting overwhelming for abortion rights. Independent men are voting for Trump, but independent men are also voting yes on Amendment 4.”
That gives Democrats a path, if not to win Florida, at least to make it a closer contest than anyone thought.
“If you’re Kamala Harris, your strategy is quite simple, Democrats are overwhelmingly voting for this, Republicans less so. Your strategy is bringing out independent women in Florida,” Paleologos said.
It’s something that might just ultimately come down to turnout
“All these added independent women are now at the table in Florida voting for this Amendment 4. Who are they going to vote for for president?” he said.
There will also be Amendment 3 on the ballot, which is a much less divisive issue.
7News’ survey asked “should recreational marijuana be legalized?”
The results show that the issue is all but certain to pass this November with 63% saying “yes” and 33% responded “no.”
“The marijuana questions has wide support across all demographics,” Paleologos said.
Currently, 24 states, plus the District of Columbia, have legalized marijuana for recreational or medical use.
The election is now less than three months away and the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago next week.
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