Last week, nearly 60% of voters in Kansas rejected a ballot referendum that would have amended the state constitution, removing a woman’s right to abortion. I must admit this was a bit of a shocker to me as Kansas easily carried Trump in 2020, and is not known for its “liberal” leanings. When I think of the political landscape of Kansas I think of the Scopes Monkey Trial, the evolution hearings, and the fact that it has voted Republican in every presidential election over the last 50 years. The last time the sunflower state voted a Democrat to the Senate was in 1932.
The Kansas amendment, titled “Value Them Both,” represented the first ballot initiative on abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June. Abortion opponents described it as a corrective to a 2019 state Supreme Court ruling which found that the Kansas constitution protects abortion rights, while pro-choice groups warned it would swiftly allow Republican lawmakers to enact a total abortion ban.
The ballot initiative was designed to hand-cuff abortion rights groups and women from the start. The vote for scheduled for the August primary rather than in the general election in November. Supporters of the referendum were betting on the fact that primaries draw few Democratic voters, and that non-party voters are barred from voting in primaries. In addition, pro-choice advocates claimed that the ballot’s language was intentionally misleading, crafted to confuse voters about what a “yes” or “no” vote meant. It also included non-related provisions, such as public funding for abortion (which does not happen in Kansas).
There is a glimmer of hope here for the rest of the country and for the midterms in November.
More than 900,000 Kansans showed up to the polls to vote on the state’s abortion referendum, which is the biggest turnout for a primary election in the history of the state. Is this a sign that we could also see high turnout in upcoming primaries where abortion is on the ballot? I think so.
According to the Pew Research Center, only 8% of American adults say abortion should be against the law in all cases, without exception. Only 19% say abortion should be legal in all cases, without exception. So why should Americans bend to the will of a minority?
In November, Kentucky will have a ballot measure that asks voters to specify that the state Constitution not support abortion rights. California and Vermont will ask voters to pass laws protecting abortion rights. Governor races in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin will be among abortion rights battlegrounds as Democratic governors in those states will fight attempts by GOP-controlled legislatures to enact new abortion restrictions. The odds may be longer in redder states such as Florida, Texas, and Ohio.
For Democrats and advocates for a woman’s right to choose, the results in Kansas give Democracy a glimmer of hope. It is also a reminder that turnout matters.