Abortion and marijuana will be on Florida’s ballot this November. These two topics are expected to draw young voters to support President Biden and the Democrats in the state. Similar initiatives have driven youth voter turnout in other states, such as Ohio last year. Democrats believe Florida will see a similar increase.
After the state’s Supreme Court ruled earlier this week that both issues could be on the November ballot, Democrats swiftly announced that Florida was again in contention despite recent shifts toward the Republicans.
President Joe Biden (Credits: People)
“Both abortion and marijuana legalization resonate strongly with young people, a key demographic that the president needs to mobilize,” said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, a grassroots progressive group.
On Monday, the Biden campaign released a memo announcing increased investment in former President Trump’s home state. They argue that Trump and the Republican agenda in Florida are “making Floridians’ lives worse.” Trump won the state over 51 percent of the vote compared to Biden’s 48 percent in 2020.
Campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez stated that the campaign has targeted ads focusing on young, Hispanic, and Black voters in Florida.
“Florida is not an easy state to win, but it is winnable for President Biden, especially given Trump’s weak, cash-strapped campaign and serious vulnerabilities within his coalition,” she said in the memo.
Florida’s Supreme Court issued two rulings on Monday regarding abortion access. One ruling will allow a six-week abortion ban to take effect next month, and another allowed for a ballot measure that would protect access to abortion up to 24 weeks if passed in November.
Abortion and Marijuana (Credits: WFLA)
The court also decided not to block a ballot initiative that would legalize recreational marijuana use despite previous rejection by Republican lawmakers in the state.
“Abortion and marijuana on the ballot could be an electoral earthquake for the youth vote in Florida. The GOP’s anti-choice, anti-cannabis stance isn’t just out of touch, it’s straight out of the stone age,” said Democratic strategist Michael Starr Hopkins.
The situation in Florida in November is similar to the 2023 ballot initiatives in Ohio. Ohio voters legalized recreational marijuana and approved a state constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade in June 2022.
Democrats have seen successes across the country when abortion has been on the ballot. Democrats recently won a state House seat in Alabama after focusing on abortion and protecting access to in vitro fertilization (IVF).
“Ballot initiatives can be game-changing for campaigns. Just last week, we saw a Democrat win a state house seat in Alabama focused on IVF, showing the power of the issue in a deep red state,” said Democratic strategist Andrea Riccio.
Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, noted the enthusiasm among young voters since the court rulings earlier this week. “The youth vote is excited about the opportunity to vote on cannabis and abortion in November,” she said.
