Black and Hispanic Americans are feeling extra motivated to vote this year, poll shows

Democrats hoping for a "blue wave" are excited to hit the polls this fall.

A new poll from Quinnipiac University shows that 58 percent of Democrats are feeling "more motivated" than usual to vote in the upcoming midterm elections, compared to 41 percent of Republicans.

The motivation is especially strong among black and Hispanic voters — 55 percent of each group say they are more motivated. In a close second, 51 percent of both women and voters aged 18-34 report feeling more motivated to vote this year.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Other groups say they are no more motivated than usual. While only 38 percent of Democrats say this year feels normal to them, 58 percent of Republicans said the same. White voters with college degrees aren't feeling too energetic to get out the vote, with 52 percent saying they're just as motivated as usual.

Midterm elections aren't typically a huge draw at the ballot box, but the poll highlighted a few hot-button issues that could be pushing the stakes higher. For example, 63 percent of voters agree with the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision to allow abortion, a ruling that could be on the chopping block if a new justice is confirmed. Voters say that immigration is the issue that will most inform their voting decisions, followed by the economy and health care.

The Quinnipiac poll was conducted June 27-July 1, surveying 1,020 voters by phone. There is a margin of error of ± 3.7 percentage points.