Happy Friday! Welcome to our Media Round Up. Each week we’re collecting and sharing our favorite gender + politics stories. Here’s what caught our eye this week:

Abortion is a key motivator for US voters in midterm elections, new survey finds

Deidre McPhillips, CNN

According to new survey data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, around half of registered voters in the United States expressed that they are more motivated to vote in next month’s midterm elections than in previous elections. The survey also concluded that abortion is the main issue driving the newfound motivation. Seven weeks before the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, about 43% of US voters said they were motivated to vote in the midterm elections. Following the decision in June, the percentage of US voters saying they were motivated to vote in the midterms increased by seven points. Abortion is on the ballot in at least four states next month.

Read the full story here.

Can Cheri Beasley build a winning coalition in North Carolina?

Candice Norwood, The 19^th*

North Carolina has not elected a Democratic U.S. Senator or backed a Democratic president since 2008. That could soon change if the state elects Cheri Beasley for the U.S. Senate in November. For Beasley to win the election, she will have to drive significant voter turnout in both rural and urban parts of the North Carolina. Beasley can accomplish this by banding together a broad coalition of Democrats, unaffiliated voters and some moderate Republicans to flip the seat currently held by retiring Republican Senator Richard Burr. Although Beasley has been elected statewide multiple times, running for office at the federal level presents an entirely different challenge for the U.S. Senate hopeful.

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Melinda French Gates is getting political: ‘We have to make sure women have their full power in society’

Megan Leonhardt, Fortune

While some experts and women leaders have talked about “empowering women,” philanthropist Melinda Gates says, “We have to make sure women have their full power in society … What do I mean by that? I mean that in your homes and communities and at the very top levels of society, women can control resources, make decisions, and shape policies and perspectives.” In her speech at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit, French Gates highlighted that only a fraction of the members of U.S. Congress are women, and there are no Black women in the U.S. Senate. French Gates is looking to make a change for women in politics by donating to candidates’ campaigns, as well as investing in a number of partner organizations to create more access for women to run for office.

Read the full story here.

Women Over 50 Are The Most Undecided Bloc Of Voters This Election

1A, NPR

About a month out from the midterm elections, women over 50 are the most undecided voting bloc according to a new AARP poll. This undecided voting bloc has potential for Republicans and Democrats as women over 50 casted over a third of ballots in the 2018 and 2020 elections, and the group is one of the most reliable voting blocs. One of the most important issues to women over 50 is the economy, as one-third of the group said they are less financially secure than they’d like to be at this stage of their lives.

Read the full story here.

Abortion rights advocates eye ballot measures for 2024

Rachel Roubein, Washington Post

Abortion rights advocates are looking at ballot measures to preserve access to the procedure in state constitutions in 2024. The recent effort from abortion rights advocates represents an emerging strategy from the movement and a growing belief that they are on the side of public opinion. At least a dozen states are exploring, or are expected to start exploring, whether a citizen-led petition could be a path to restoring or protecting abortion access in their state.

Read the full story here.