VOTE NO AUG 2
IN KANSAS
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Thought I’d give an update from the reproductive rights front lines here in good ol’ Kansas.
Unlike other red states that had no built-in protections in place for the rights of people with uteruses, the Kansas Supreme Court decided a couple of years ago that a woman’s right to own her own body was inherent in the Kansas Constitution. Well, that sent far-right evangelicals and conservatives in the state into a tizzy. So how did they respond? By forcing a vote to amend the Kansas Constitution. The wording of the measure is deliberately confusing (“value them both” my ass), and of course, conservatives scheduled this vote for the Midterms, for which liberals and centrists are notoriously bad about turning out and voting.
Not this time.
There’s a huge political battle being waged on the front lawns of Kansans right now, and tempers are getting testy. Competing yard signs and billboards are popping up everywhere, and there are tales of neighbors bawling each other out for their views:
Not only that, but a record number of new voters have registered to vote in Kansas. It’s expected voter turnout across the state may be as high as 50%, when typically the midterm voter turnout in most counties is about 20–30%.
Now, Kansas will be the first state in the nation to vote on the issue of abortion.
The Kansas Abortion Fund, which has a small, but loyal, following of donors, has been inundated with offers of help and tens of thousands of dollars in donations and suddenly people are aware of our existence. Our president has been doing a flurry of interviews with national outlets like the Washington Post, PBS, NBC News, etc. It’s a huge amount of…
