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Kansas voters voted in large numbers to oppose the anti-abortion amendment.
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Kansas defeated the amendment by more than 20 points and suffered a crushing defeat.
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The exceptionally high voter turnout is a huge loss for anti-abortion groups and a warning sign for Republicans.
Kansas voters rallied to immediately reject the first post-Roe v. Wade anti-abortion ballot measure — and a dramatic cut in abortion rights nationwide could hamper their future prospects. A big warning sign for Republicans in hopes of not undermining the 2022 midterm elections.
Fix 2 Promoted by anti-abortion activists, neither the right to abortion nor the right to government funding for abortion would have been established under the Kansas Constitution.
With over 830,000 votes counted and 99% of the votes reported as of 12:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, the “no” trailed the “yes” by 60% to 40%. , there was a difference of 20 points.
The total vote cast for the amendment accounted for nearly three-quarters of the votes cast in the 2018 general election, a midterm election that saw a “blue wave” of Democrats. According to the US Election ProjectThis number is roughly comparable to the nearly 887,00 votes cast in the 2014 general election and the 858,000 votes cast in 2010, both mid-years when the political climate greatly favored the Republican Party. .
Over 800,000 voters voted for the amendment. 2018 Kansas Gubernatorial Primary — The referendum showed strong motivation for abortion rights advocates. Putting access to abortion directly on the ballot ahead of the 2022 election could pose serious problems for Republicans. Republicans are a problem they didn’t have to face without the protection of Roe v. Wade.
A “yes” vote on this measure would have eliminated the right to abortion under the state constitution, and a “no” vote would have left the constitutional protections for abortion in Kansas unchanged and the status quo. was maintained.
low voter turnout Usually associated with primariesespecially in the midterm elections, the political environment that favored Republicans was initially expected to favor supporters of the amendment.
But before the polls closed, Kansas’ chief election officer, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, said voter turnout for the August primary was expected to reach 50%, beating the office’s forecast of 36% of voters. I expected it to be possible. The rate of junior high school primary education is high.
In more than 99% of the results reports, the “No” votes for the bill far outstripped President Joe Biden’s share of the vote. In several blue counties, he won the 2020 election.
Meanwhile, in some counties where former President Donald Trump won easily in 2020, the “yes” vote was undercounted, failing to crack 60% of the vote.
American Views on Abortion It can often be ambiguous and difficult to parse. But as most people opposed overturning Roe v. Wade, and as the results of the Kansas Amendment show, a strict abortion ban or “trigger law” would be a popular choice among voters of both major parties. In many cases, it is overwhelmingly unpopular.
And when given the chance to directly formulate abortion policy, Kansas voters, after facing almost six weeks of real-world consequences unfolding across the country, were motivated to allow a strict abortion ban. did not show
Voter’s decision upholds a 2019 ruling by the Kansas Supreme Court establishing abortion rights under the Kansas Bill of Rights, which could be passed into law if Republicans win the gubernatorial election maintain potential legal guardrails against certain abortion restrictions. November.
It also currently maintains Kansas’ status as a key access point for abortion care in the Midwest and Southwest.
Still, just because the Second Amendment overheated voter turnout and was quickly beaten in the polls doesn’t mean Republicans are completely doomed. still favored by election analysts and forecasters to regain the House of Representatives.
But it offers a warning sign for the fate of future anti-abortion votes. Two of them will go live in Kentucky and Montana in November., Republicans hope for a drop in Democratic enthusiasm and voter turnout in November. And, perhaps, state-level elected officials who advocate for strict abortion bans and restrictions.
Read the original article at business insider