Just hours after the Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe v Wade in June, US President Joe Biden put an extra name on the ballot in every American state.

“This fall,’’ he said, “Roe is on the ballot.’’

It was a strategic call; a bid to galvanise Democrat voters to turn out in force to have their voice heard; voices – and votes – that would be a midterm fillip.

And in an irony that is now playing out across some unexpected states in the US, it looks to have worked a treat, with Republican efforts to limit abortions doing the exact opposite – and delivering for Joe Biden’s team.

Of course it’s early days, and the US midterms can act as a distraction to what might eventually play out on the national stage. But it’s a stellar start for the Democrats.

Setting a trend

Just take these trends, as outlined by CNN and others, as counting unfolded.

Voters in bright-red Kentucky turned their back on a ballot question wanting its constitution amended to further hamper abortion rights.

Voters in California and Michigan both turned out in big numbers to ensure abortion rights were enshrined in their state constitutions.

Biden’s bid to stem the Republican tide appears to have been effective. Photo: Getty

And perhaps even more far reaching, voters in Vermont were set to amend their Constitution so that “an individual’s right to personal reproductive autonomy’’ was seen as central to their freedom and dignity. That amendment also stipulated that it could not be denied unless special circumstances were met.

Although it is not a slam dunk – and anti-abortion Republicans will beat out the opposition in other places, more states are likely to throw up the trend of voting blue as a rebuke to the Supreme Court.

And it means, as votes are tallied, the Democrats should get their mandate to codify abortion rights into law.

Certainly timing has helped the Democrats here, both in terms of the June Supreme Court decision providing a new issue to reset the party’s faltering strategy, and concern over the economy – particularly inflation – failing to turn voters against the Democrats.

The Supreme Court might even have handed out how-to-vote cards, such was its impact in driving voters out – and that translated into votes for the Democrats.

Darrin Camilleri, a Democrat who won a seat in the Michigan Senate, told Time that he knocked on 130,000 doors. And it was abortion, he said, that was the “deciding factor’’.

“It drove turnout in ways that we did not expect,’’ he said.

Exit polls give evidence to this. In some – for example, California – voters made it very clear that the key reason for their vote was the right to choose.

Exit polls have been divided over what was the top issue for Democrats, but inflation and abortion were repeatedly the top two.

The midterm takeout? The political verdict is clear: Joe Biden’s decision to articulate the importance of Roe at the ballot box early is a vote winner. His challenge will now turn to navigating that support into action.

Galvanising voters

Roe v Wade is a very American story and while it might not mirror exactly an issue in Australia, a valuable lesson lies in how it has played out in the US, and what the political response will now be.

Just as voters will now demand Joe Biden deliver on abortion law reform, this shows how any issue, anywhere, can become the pop-up campaign focus.

In Australia, during the past decade, it was privatisation that floated to the surface as the issue, particularly at the state level.

The word was toxic; and a politician in some states using it felt the full brunt of voter fury. Perhaps in some states like Queensland, that remains the case.

But in others, it is now accepted as a credible, almost magic, funding source.

Debt is another issue that carries enormous emotional baggage – at least until it spiralled out of control to the point where it is now almost impossible to contain.

Over time, we’ve learnt to approve of ‘good debt’ and eschew ‘bad debt’, although the difference in how they are defined can sometimes become a tad murky.

Perhaps nuclear energy is the next issue, like that.

But none of those, in Australia, has quite captured the ‘ownership’ of Roe v Wade in America.

As a young journalist in the US, it was one of the first questions I was asked after stepping off the plane. What do you know about Roe v Wade? Where do you stand?

Without Google to assist, a history of commentary painted an early picture of why it is so fundamental to the US electorate. It’s the talk at dinner time, and voting day line-up.

Women’s right. Personal responsibility. Personal freedom. Equality. The role of the Supreme Court.

Roe v Wade wraps all those issues into one. And like the frequent but unexpected tornadoes the locals have learnt to live with, it swept through US politics this week – showing the power of voters galvanised by a single issue.