Today, Kansas is holding the nation's first test of voter feelings about the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, with people throughout the state deciding whether to allow their Legislature to regulate abortion.
The referendum on the proposed anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution is being closely watched as a barometer of liberal voters' anger over the June ruling overturning the nationwide right to abortion.
Polls opened Tuesday across Kansas. Election officials anticipated the abortion measure will draw more voters. Polls were busy Tuesday morning, with lines reported at some locations. Typically, primary elections in Kansas are limited to the two major parties, but unaffiliated voters can cast a vote in this election for the constitutional amendment. Advance in-person voting and mail ballots were up in the large counties of Sedgwick, Johnson and Wyandotte counties compared to the 2018 primary election.
The Kansas measure is a response to a state Supreme Court decision in 2019 declaring that access to abortion is a matter of bodily autonomy and a "fundamental" right under the state's Bill of Rights. The Kansas measure would add language to the state constitution saying that it doesn't grant a right to abortion, which would allow elected lawmakers to regulate it. Kentucky will vote in November on adding similar language to its constitution.
