Victory in Kansas
On Tuesday, August 2, Kansas became the first state to leave the fate of abortion laws in their constitution up to voters. Kansas held their primaries, and there was a high turnout in voters, not seen since 2008. The referendum was not passed, keeping abortion a constitutional right in the state. Even very rural counties deep in the red state supported the right to abortion by a large margin, shocking citizens. Kansas is now a island for abortions in the middle of America, where its neighboring states do not support abortion.
There are two huge takeaways from this vote: the importance of voters in all elections and that even in conservative states like Kansas, voters won’t always necessarily vote along partisan lines. It is so important to vote if you are eligible, not just in presidential elections, but also in your state elections. Even if you are not 18 yet, you can pre-register to vote and tell older family and friends how they can get more involved in local elections. You can learn more and pre-register here. There are more abortion-related measures on the ballot in four other states this year (California, Kentucky, Montana, Vermont), with voting on November 8 in all four states. You can read more about these measures here.
If Kansas can do it, so can we! Kansas is a conservative state, but after this primary, we’ve learned that even Republicans voters can support abortion, as it is a social issue about healthcare and bodily autonomy. The New York Times interviewed Kansas residents and showed that the majority of them were registered Republicans, but voted for the protection of abortion rights. The destruction of the ballot referendum goes to show the power of activism and voting, and the resistance of the people against the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/02/us/elections/results-kansas-abortion-amendment.html