Voters in Kansas, in the US Midwest, voted Tuesday in the first major ballot on abortion since the US Supreme Court struck down federal abortion rights.
They must say whether or not the Constitution of this traditionally conservative state should be amended to remove the guarantee of the right to abortion.
Beyond the very concrete consequences that this vote could have for the inhabitants of Kansas, the ballot is seen as a political test at the national level, many conservative states having already banned or intending to quickly ban any right to abortion.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. and turnout was expected to be high, according to election officer Marsha Barrett, who said 250 voters had come to the Olathe polling station by noon — the same number as on a day during a presidential election.
“This election is crazy,” she told AFP. “People are determined to vote.”
Those in favor of the change, the “yes” supporters, claim that it would allow lawmakers to regulate abortion without interference from the judiciary. The “Value Them Both” campaign – “Both count”, referring to the woman and the fetus – assures us that banning abortion is not its objective.
But on the opposite side, the “no” camp, activists see the constitutional amendment as a thinly veiled attempt to pave the way for a clear cut ban by the Republican-dominated local parliament, which would thus follow in the footsteps of at least eight other American states since the decision of the United States Supreme Court in June.
Morgan Spoor, 19, is voting for the first time and wants to promote “the right to choose”.
“I really want to make my voice heard, especially as a woman. I don’t think anyone can say what a woman can do with her body,” she says.
On the contrary, Sylvia Brantley, 60, said “yes” to the change because she thinks “babies matter too”.
She said she wants more regulations, so that Kansas isn’t a place “where babies are killed.”
Complicated political reality
“No” supporters watch with anxiety as neighboring states of Missouri and Oklahoma have imposed near-total bans. Missouri does not allow exceptions for rape or incest.
Other states, including California and Kentucky, are due to vote on the issue in November, coinciding with midterm congressional elections in which Republicans and Democrats hope to rally their supporters around abortion.
In Kansas itself, a local conservative elected official introduced a bill this year that would ban abortion without exceptions for rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother.
Currently, abortion is legal in Kansas up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. Parental authorization is required for minors.
The vote, which coincides with the Kansas primaries, is the first opportunity for American voters to express their views on abortion since the Supreme Court overturned its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade.
In the midst of a tense debate on abortion, Tuesday’s results will be synonymous with either a boost or a snub for each of the two camps.
Democrats strongly support abortion rights, while conservatives generally support at least some restrictions.
But in Kansas, the political reality is more complicated.
The state leans heavily Republican and has not voted for a Democrat in the White House since 1964.
But Kansas’ most populous county elected a Democrat, Sharice Davids, to the House of Representatives in 2018, and state Governor Laura Kelly is a Democrat.
According to a 2021 poll, less than 20% of Kansas respondents agreed that abortion should be illegal even in cases of rape or incest.