In Kansas, voters turned out in large numbers to reject the first anti-abortion ballot measure in the post- Wade era.
The right to abortion and government funding for abortion would have been eliminated under the amendment. As of 11:30 a.m., there were almost one million votes counted. "no" was trouncing "yes" by 19 points.
The defeat of the measure spells trouble for future anti-abortion ballot measures, two of which are up for a vote in November in Kentucky and Montana, and, more significantly, Republicans' hopes for subdued Democratic enthusiasm and turnout for the elections in November, which could doom many state-
According to the US Elections Project, the number of votes cast on the measure nearly matches the number of votes cast in the general election last year. The 887,00 votes cast in the general election in 2014) and the 858,000 votes cast in 2010 were both dominated by Republicans.
The referendum demonstrated a potent motivator for abortion-rights supporters due to the large number of voters who turned out to vote. With abortion access being on the ballot in the upcoming election, it could pose a serious problem for the GOP that it hadn't faced before.
A "yes" vote on the measure would have ended the right to abortion in the state of Kansas, while a "no" vote would have preserved the status quo.
Proponents of the amendment were initially expected to favor the amendment due to lower turnout levels associated with primaries and a political environment favoring the Republican Party.
The Secretary of State predicted before the polls closed that the turnout in the primary would surpass the office's projection and that it would go as high as 50%.
—Katie Bernard (@KatieJ_Bernard) August 3, 2022
The "no" vote on the measure was more significant than President Joe Biden's vote share in several blue counties he won in the 2020 election.
The "yes" vote failed to get the necessary number of votes in several counties that President Donald Trump won.
—Taniel (@Taniel) August 3, 2022
The results of the Kansas referendum suggest that strict abortion bans are often unpopular with voters of both major political parties.
After nearly six weeks of being faced with the real-world consequences playing out across the country, Kansas voters showed no appetite for allowing strict abortion bans.
If a Republican wins the governor's race in November, the voters' decision will preserve a legal guardrail against the kind of abortion restrictions that may be passed into law.
For now, Kansas remains a crucial access point for abortion care in the Midwest and Southwest.
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