November 9, 2023
“Too many in the GOP and the consulting class treat the abortion issue like three-card monte, pretending that with sleight of hand you can make the issue go away. Over the last few ballot initiative campaigns, Students for Life Action has advised prioritizing direct messages about how intentional abortion, as well as mothers and their preborn children, would be impacted by the measures. In our Ohio exit polling focused on Gen Z we learned that the reality of abortion extremism best convinces people to vote pro-life first,” said Students for Life’s Kristan Hawkins.
Three out of Four Youth Voters in Ohio said ABORTION was the most important issue they consider when voting.
Almost 9 in 10 who voted against Issue 1 PRIORITIZED allowing abortion limits through all nine months.
WASHINGTON D.C. (11-09-2023) – Active in our opposition to Ohio’s Issue 1 that passed earlier this week, Students for Life Action conducted exit polling on college precincts to determine what issues motivated the Youth vote for or against the measure. Much of the push FOR Issue 1 focused on access to abortion while much of the conversation AGAINST highlighted the fact that a parent’s right to be involved in a life-and-death decision could be curtailed. “All the money spent by a billion-dollar abortion machine has been a wrecking ball, state by state, allowing false statements and fear mongering to pressure voters to support abortion. But we wanted to learn more about what the Youth vote heard and what motivated their vote, and the results were illuminating,” said SFLAction President Kristan Hawkins.
In a memo published at the Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement, SFLAction reports that “several studies have proven the majority of GenZ and Millennial voters do agree with at least some gestational limits. However, when faced with confusing messaging, enough voters caved to pressure and ultimately voted against their own values.”
In our Ohio exit poll on Youth Voter Views, we found:
- 3/4 report that abortion is the most important issue they consider when voting.
- Republican voters ranked highest in their concern for abortion with 83% reporting it is their most important issue, followed by Democrats at 76%, and Independent voters at 66%.
- More than half of those who supported Issue 1 did not do so to allow abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.
- One in three voted for the measure to allow for abortion in certain cases (such as rape.)
- About 4% prioritized “minor’s rights,” as they did not support parental involvement.
- And 15% said “something else” motivated their vote.
- Almost 9 in 10 (85%) of those who voted “No” on Issue 1 prioritized limiting abortion through all 9 months.
- A small minority, roughly 8%, valued “parental rights”, for either abortions or transgender surgery, as their main motivation when voting No on Issue 1.
For more on Students for Life Action’s engagement in Ohio and in this election cycle, read: Students for Life Action Notes “It’s a Marathon and not a Sprint” in this Election & Every Other, as Ohio Returns Come in
SFLAction in Ohio by the numbers, we:
- Engaged with 28 Students for Life groups, developing grassroots efforts with more than 150 volunteers.
- Directed more than 20 student-led door-knocking and dorm-knocking days, with students participated in knocking more than 85,000 doors.
- Contacted 5,990 households via phone.
- Hosted 28 educational and voter registration displays, registered hundreds to vote at the cost of $7 per voter registered and $12 per mind-change.
- Trained more than 350 students for outreach.
- Empowered 25 Social Media captains to reach 50,000 people weekly with digital footprint which was measured in August to be the highest social media engagement in the state, surpassing even the New York Times and other media.
- Garnered more than 5,300 clicks to VOTE NO education site over the last 48 hours using a Google search-engine optimization ad campaign.
Additional Ohio efforts included:
- Focusing on campus outreach: Days From Ohio’s Election, the Pro-Life Gen Shares Message that is Convincing Youth Vote to OPPOSE Issue 1
- Recruiting peer outreach: Want to Make Real Election Impact in Ohio? Become a Campus Coordinator or Social Media Captain in Your State
- Networking nationwide: Students for Life Action Debuts 31 New State Captains, Plans to Utilize Power of Youth Vote Headed into Election Season
- Organizing educational tours: Stop Abortion Extremism Tour: Ohio Edition
- Messaging specific themes: Ohio Preborn Lives Are On the Ballot in November; This is How SFLAction is Working to Protect Them
- Strategizing grassroots efforts: SFLAction Launches 3-Step Plan for Defending Life in Ohio by Energizing the Youth Vote, as the November Ballot Initiative on Abortion is Priority Number One
- Educating voters on the radical agenda of the Democratic Party lead by President Joe Biden:Students for Life Action Launches New TV Spot Reminding the Youth Vote that President Biden’s Abortion Extremism Includes Support for Abortions in ALL NINE MONTHS
For interviews, email [email protected]
###
Students for Life Action (SFLAction), a 501c4, along with its 501c3 sister organization, Students for Life of America (SFLA), make up the nation’s largest, pro-life youth organization, managing a political and policy operation engaging Americans of all ages but with a special emphasis on the largest segment of voters — the Youth Vote. Together they provide political, legal, educational, and community support for women and children, born and preborn. Headquartered in Fredericksburg, VA, SFLA serves more than 1,400 groups on middle, high school, college, medical, and law school campuses in all 50 states. SFLA and SFLAction have more conversations with this generation targeted by the abortion lobby than any other pro-life operation in the world, each week reaching more than 4 million across social media platforms and averaging 1.3 million video views. SFLA has also launched multiple initiatives to lead and serve the future of the pro-life movement including the Campaign for Abortion Free Cities, Standing With You, and the Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement. Over more than 17 years, President Kristan Hawkins has grown SFLAction/SFLA and the Pro-Life Generation into a nearly $20M organization, now preparing for an abortion-free America.
