Kansas votes 62% to retain the right to access an abortion in its constitution.

[Bradskii]

I wonder if this is a foreshadowing of the November elections? Keep an eye on the swing states.

I'd expect to see all sorts of state constitutional amendments coming up for a vote this year. Should be interesting times.

In 2016, Trump won Kansas by 20 plus points. Now it might be that the vote for abortion will be a win of that proportion.

 

[Desk trauma]

Should be interesting times.

I long for the curse of living in interesting times to be lifted.

 

[NxNW]

The left is the party in America that offers the masses free everything

Link, please.

I have a sister who once told me she didn’t care about anything but what politican could offer her in the way of handouts, and whichever one that was would get her vote. Turns out it was Obama.

She must have been disappointed, since Obama didn't promise handouts to anyone.

 

[Desk trauma]

Now the question is, do state legislators have some work around that allows them to ignore this vote and restrict abortion anyway?

 

[RocksInMyHead]

Now the question is, do state legislators have some work around that allows them to ignore this vote and restrict abortion anyway?

Not without first overturning a state Supreme Court decision:
Kansas Supreme Court rules state constitution protects abortion rights, a decision that could lead to challenges in other states | Constitutional Accountability Center (theusconstitution.org)

 

[childeye 2]

That’s not what you said though. You said people mostly vote with their money in mind… the GOP promises to help fulfill people’s greed. Again, since I’ve been alive (38 years now) the only party I’ve ever heard talk about “free stuff” is the left and that message absolutely is meant to feed into people’s greed.

I think it's the way semantics play out in our psycholinguistics. One person might think to say that business owners create jobs, while another person would think to say my dog creates jobs every time it poops in the yard.

 

[Nithavela]

Does that actually happen, though?

I never said that they deliver, only that they promise.

That's enough to get votes in a democracy.

 

[Nithavela]

Wanting a decent living standard is not greed no. I think every human should have access to basic things that provide a decent quality of life. Education, health care included. I don’t think those things should be free, but the costs of such should be that anyone can afford them, especially health care.

The other bit of your statement can absolutely be twisted for greed. “Wanting nice things” is absolutely the statement of greed.

I disagree on this definition of greed. In my eyes, the defining characteristic of greed is the desire for "more", which cannot be sated and perpetuates itself. It is not desiring material goods above a mere subsitence level.

Maybe this difference in definition explains our disagreement.

 

[wing2000]

I doubt that. In the end, people mostly vote with their money in mind. Abortion is generally seen as an "other people" problem, even by those who might need it or needed it in the past. Certainly a consideration, but not the deciding factor. And the GOP generally promises to fulfill people's greed.

I generally agree, but in this case, voters came out to reject a specific referendum. I think it's safe to say turnout would have been a lot less if this was not on the ballot....

 

[Desk trauma]

I generally agree, but in this case, voters came out to reject a specific referendum. I think it's safe to say turnout would have been a lot less if this was not on the ballot....

Returns are showing many ballots were only marked with this question. Clearly rigged, stop the steal!

 

[Lazarus Short]

I am no great friend of Kansas, but I do live near it. It has always seemed like a foreign country to me. With that said, Kansans are traditionally Republican and fairly conservative, except for Johnson County, and to a lesser degree, Lawrence. You see, demographically and politically, there are TWO states of Kansas: Johnson County, south of Kansas City, Kansas and west of Kansas City, Missouri...and the whole rest of the state. I expect JoCo, and again to a lesser degree, Lawrence, skewed the vote.

 

[Desk trauma]

I am no great friend of Kansas, but I do live near it. It has always seemed like a foreign country to me. With that said, Kansans are traditionally Republican and fairly conservative, except for Johnson County, and to a lesser degree, Lawrence. You see, demographically and politically, there are TWO states of Kansas: Johnson County, south of Kansas City, Kansas and west of Kansas City, Missouri...and the whole rest of the state. I expect JoCo, and again to a lesser degree, Lawrence, skewed the vote.

Can’t have people skewing a state wide vote by participating in it, time for succession!

 

[cow451]

Ah, my knowledge of American politics grows day by day!

That ranks right up there with knowing more about what’s in hot dogs.

 

[cow451]

Playing Devil’s Advocate here, could the Extreme Court overturn this part of the KS Constitution if just the “right” case got to it?

 

[RocksInMyHead]

I am no great friend of Kansas, but I do live near it. It has always seemed like a foreign country to me. With that said, Kansans are traditionally Republican and fairly conservative, except for Johnson County, and to a lesser degree, Lawrence. You see, demographically and politically, there are TWO states of Kansas: Johnson County, south of Kansas City, Kansas and west of Kansas City, Missouri...and the whole rest of the state. I expect JoCo, and again to a lesser degree, Lawrence, skewed the vote.

Ok? The residents of Johnson County (which is absolutely not more liberal than Lawrence - I would know, having lived in both places) and Lawrence are just as much citizens of the state of Kansas as the residents of Hays, Salina, Dodge City, and all of the other towns around the state. They get just as much say in any changes to the state constitution - that is to say, one vote each.

Also, for the record: Kansas Democratic & Republican Primary Election Results and Maps 2022 | CNN Politics

Johnson County was tied for third in percentage voting "No" on the amendment. Douglas County (Lawrence) and Wyandotte County (KCK) were much more skewed. If you wanted, we could ignore Johnson County entirely, and the measure still wouldn't pass.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

Oh good. When we put the issue of basic access to private medical care up to a popular vote, the vote said I should have that access protected. What a victory.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that’s how the vote turned out but it’s disgusting that the whole of a state puts what care people should have access to up to a popular vote and the chance existed that people, based on their own personal whim, could have dictated another persons medical care.

It’s kind of like being excited your parents said you could take the car. Yeah you got the result you wanted, but it doesn’t change that you only got it because they let you.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

Playing Devil’s Advocate here, could the Extreme Court overturn this part of the KS Constitution if just the “right” case got to it?

Nope. Not unless there was a federal law/amendment banning abortion. Disagreements about state laws stop at the state supreme court unless the argument is that the law violates a federal statute.

 

[tall73]

If you wanted, we could ignore Johnson County entirely, and the measure still wouldn't pass.

I think this also reflects that people preferred the status quo to whatever the majority in the legislature had in mind, but were unwilling to state ahead of time.

 

[durangodawood]

...I expect JoCo, and again to a lesser degree, Lawrence, skewed the vote.

So there was a real vote...
And then these other people went and "skewed" it?

 

[Desk trauma]

Playing Devil’s Advocate here, could the Extreme Court overturn this part of the KS Constitution if just the “right” case got to it?

I’m sure the opinion is already written and waiting in a desk drawer.