Send good vibes to Kansas tomorrow

[lust2hart]

OMG YAY!! We’re still counting at our location so I hadn’t seen anything. I had NO IDEA this was happening!!!!!

[isabel]

Aug 2, 2022 21:33:45 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

Aug 2, 2022 21:15:42 GMT -5 Cheerio said:

I hope you didn’t doubt for a minute that I was voting! Also, I’m not feeling good yet. Johnson Co always reports early and they’re likely heavy no, as are the early voters. I won’t feel comfortable until much later.

NPR reports 83.1% of votes are counted, 62.5-37.5%, if that helps you. 🙌

A work friend who is there is stressed. This is helping. The percentages are very reassuring.

[Patsy Baloney]

Hell 👏 yes 👏 Kansas 👏

I am just so happy. Thank you to everyone with boots on the ground. Let this be a harbinger. Abortion is a right! We are a pro-choice nation!

[zaneyzoo]

Holy shit. I’m shocked. And so so incredibly (cautiously) happy.

[NewOrleans]

Aug 2, 2022 21:38:23 GMT -5 isabel said:

Aug 2, 2022 21:33:45 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

NPR reports 83.1% of votes are counted, 62.5-37.5%, if that helps you. 🙌

A work friend who is there is stressed. This is helping. The percentages are very reassuring.

90% counted. It’s good. 

cue attempts to overturn.

[pixy0stix]

MSNBC pointed out that Republicans also voted to keep abortion rights. There's just not that many Democrats in the state.

[seeyalater52]

Aug 2, 2022 21:45:01 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

Aug 2, 2022 21:38:23 GMT -5 isabel said:

A work friend who is there is stressed. This is helping. The percentages are very reassuring.

90% counted. It’s good. 

cue attempts to overturn.

WaPo called it. Doesn’t get more official than that!

[NewOrleans]

Aug 2, 2022 21:45:52 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

MSNBC pointed out that Republicans also voted to keep abortion rights. There's just not that many Democrats in the state.

make it make sense.

[hermione]

70% of new registered voters in the state since Dobbs are women. I wish I knew how that compared to pre-Dobbs stats.

[seeyalater52]

Aug 2, 2022 21:45:52 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

MSNBC pointed out that Republicans also voted to keep abortion rights. There's just not that many Democrats in the state.

This is definitely true but also keep in mind that closed primaries in a fairly red (and getting redder) state also drives a decent number of Democrats to register as Republicans so they can have meaningful input into the elections on their ballot, and 30% of voters in the state are unaffiliated with a political party which I think is relatively high compared to other states I’m familiar with.

It’s a Republican state for sure but it isn’t quite AS Republican as voter reg trends would indicate, if that makes sense.

[zaneyzoo]

Now we just need Kris Kobach to go back under his rock.

[pugz]

Aug 2, 2022 22:01:49 GMT -5 zaneyzoo said:

Now we just need Kris Kobach to go back under his rock.

AMEN

[zaneyzoo]

Aug 2, 2022 22:16:45 GMT -5 pugz said:

Aug 2, 2022 22:01:49 GMT -5 zaneyzoo said:

Now we just need Kris Kobach to go back under his rock.

AMEN

The post election interviews have been interesting. The value them people are saying the Vote No campaign basically lied and fear mongered their way to win 🙄🙄

[okla]

Aug 2, 2022 21:45:52 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

MSNBC pointed out that Republicans also voted to keep abortion rights. There's just not that many Democrats in the state.

Yeah, I did have the thought that many of these folks will still vote R in Nov and in 2024. Whomp whomp. I hope I’m wrong, though.

[lust2hart]

Aug 2, 2022 22:01:49 GMT -5 zaneyzoo said:

Now we just need Kris Kobach to go back under his rock.

From your lips to God’s ears.

[lust2hart]

Aug 2, 2022 21:53:59 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Aug 2, 2022 21:45:52 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

MSNBC pointed out that Republicans also voted to keep abortion rights. There's just not that many Democrats in the state.

This is definitely true but also keep in mind that closed primaries in a fairly red (and getting redder) state also drives a decent number of Democrats to register as Republicans so they can have meaningful input into the elections on their ballot, and 30% of voters in the state are unaffiliated with a political party which I think is relatively high compared to other states I’m familiar with.

It’s a Republican state for sure but it isn’t quite AS Republican as voter reg trends would indicate, if that makes sense.

So I without a doubt think this is a thing, but, as I was sorting ballots at the end of the night, I was mentally tracking how many R ballots voted No. My guess is that it was only about 20%. The Dems SHOWED UP today, in a huge way. At least at my location. I really hope we can keep that going.

And I hope Jerry Moran is shaking in his boots tonight. The blue wave (inasmuch as that could happen in Kansas) is coming for you, Jer!

[goldengirlz]

KANSAS!!!

This is fucking amazing.

[biscoffcookies]

I was traveling and just had a chance to check the results. I can’t believe it but am so relieved.

[suburbanzookeeper]

Aug 2, 2022 21:51:04 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

Aug 2, 2022 21:45:52 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

MSNBC pointed out that Republicans also voted to keep abortion rights. There's just not that many Democrats in the state.

make it make sense.

I saw a quote earlier that the only place pro-life people are pro-choice is entering the backdoor of a Planned Parenthood or other clinic and at the ballot box.

They don't want you to get an abortion but they want the systems in place that if they needed one, they had access to one. Cue the only moral abortion is my abortion. 

Additionally Kansas is gerrymandered to all hell so while it is republican, it's not quite as republican as it looks on the surface. 

[suburbanzookeeper]

[underwaterrhymes]

This is such a relief. ❤️

[morecoffeeplease]

What amazing news to wake up to. Thank you to the Kansas posters who got out the vote <3

[wise_rita]

The Skimm said an estimated 500,000 people voted. What is the population of Kansas, surely each of the cities has more people than that?!

That number just struck me as really small, and I'm from one of the least populated states.

[morecoffeeplease]

Aug 3, 2022 5:56:22 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

The Skimm said an estimated 500,000 people voted. What is the population of Kansas, surely each of the cities has more people than that?!

That number just struck me as really small, and I'm from one of the least populated states.

An article I just read said that 700,000 people voted which is significantly more than the 2020 primary.

Edit: another article said as of 1am 869,000 votes were counted.

[seeyalater52]

Aug 2, 2022 23:24:24 GMT -5 lust2hart said:

Aug 2, 2022 21:53:59 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

This is definitely true but also keep in mind that closed primaries in a fairly red (and getting redder) state also drives a decent number of Democrats to register as Republicans so they can have meaningful input into the elections on their ballot, and 30% of voters in the state are unaffiliated with a political party which I think is relatively high compared to other states I’m familiar with.

It’s a Republican state for sure but it isn’t quite AS Republican as voter reg trends would indicate, if that makes sense.

So I without a doubt think this is a thing, but, as I was sorting ballots at the end of the night, I was mentally tracking how many R ballots voted No. My guess is that it was only about 20%. The Dems SHOWED UP today, in a huge way. At least at my location. I really hope we can keep that going.

And I hope Jerry Moran is shaking in his boots tonight. The blue wave (inasmuch as that could happen in Kansas) is coming for you, Jer!

I believe this 100%. The work on voter turnout was truly incredible. I hope this signals a turning point for Kansas, I really do.

[underwaterrhymes]

This is really amazing. They had the highest voter turnout since 2008 and some people only turned up to vote on this issue (not for any candidates in the primary.)

In June, the dog caught the car and hopefully this is a sign the GOP is going to see some big losses. The vast majority of Americans want abortion rights.

[abs]

Man this is amazing. Definitely provides me with a bit of hope.

[tealblue]

I am so happy for Kansas and the voter turnout sounds amazing! Hoping the momentum will spread and keep up across the country.


Hope it’s ok to ask a question here and not ruin the celebration but I’m curious- I’m nearish in Indiana and our R governor called a special session to ban abortion that is going on now. In Kansas, the voters got to vote on it. Is this because Kansas has a D governor while IN has an R who will pass abortion bans? Additionally, will this stop other states from putting this on the ballot (not sure how many red states have D governors) and governors and legislatures will just directly pass laws instead?

[Velar Fricative]

Aug 3, 2022 7:20:37 GMT -5 tealblue said:

I am so happy for Kansas and the voter turnout sounds amazing! Hoping the momentum will spread and keep up across the country.


Hope it’s ok to ask a question here and not ruin the celebration but I’m curious- I’m nearish in Indiana and our R governor called a special session to ban abortion that is going on now. In Kansas, the voters got to vote on it. Is this because Kansas has a D governor while IN has an R who will pass abortion bans? Additionally, will this stop other states from putting this on the ballot (not sure how many red states have D governors) and governors and legislatures will just directly pass laws instead?

My understanding is the reason there was a vote in Kansas was because their state constitution protects abortion rights and for the constitution to change to allow the legislature to pass restrictions, there needed to be a vote. So voters said nope, you can’t change that part of the constitution. If there’s nothing in the IN constitution that might protect abortion rights, this is why IN can just go right ahead and pass whatever they want.

Kansans, correct me if I’m wrong.

[seeyalater52]

Aug 3, 2022 7:28:31 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

Aug 3, 2022 7:20:37 GMT -5 tealblue said:

I am so happy for Kansas and the voter turnout sounds amazing! Hoping the momentum will spread and keep up across the country.


Hope it’s ok to ask a question here and not ruin the celebration but I’m curious- I’m nearish in Indiana and our R governor called a special session to ban abortion that is going on now. In Kansas, the voters got to vote on it. Is this because Kansas has a D governor while IN has an R who will pass abortion bans? Additionally, will this stop other states from putting this on the ballot (not sure how many red states have D governors) and governors and legislatures will just directly pass laws instead?

My understanding is the reason there was a vote in Kansas was because their state constitution protects abortion rights and for the constitution to change to allow the legislature to pass restrictions, there needed to be a vote. So voters said nope, you can’t change that part of the constitution. If there’s nothing in the IN constitution that might protect abortion rights, this is why IN can just go right ahead and pass whatever they want.

Kansans, correct me if I’m wrong.

This is essentially it. Also all states have different processes for whether and how constitutional amendments or other laws can pass as popular referendums vs through the legislature. In Kansas, in order to have this constitutional amendment vote, 2/3 of both chambers of the legislature had to pass a measure to put it on the ballot. In other states, there may be no constitutional amendment by referendum, or no referendum process in general, the legislature may need to vote to approve referenda before they can go on the ballot, or there is a citizen’s initiative process whereby the measure is qualified for the ballot based on signature collection from registered voters.

In the case of KS vs IN it has nothing to do with what party their governors come from, but a combination of the state’s specific constitutional protections on this issue and the existing process for making changes to laws or the constitution via referendum. I’m not aware of any states where the Governor has much authority over the initiative process but that may be true some places.