Kansas voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have removed the right to abortion from the State Constitution. By an 18-point margin, voters from both political parties supported women’s right to make their own reproductive choices.
“The Kansas vote implies that around 65 percent of voters nationwide would reject a similar initiative to roll back abortion rights,” says the New York Times. “Four other states have put abortion rights directly on the ballot in November with measures to amend their constitutions: California, Michigan and Vermont will ask voters whether to affirm the right to abortion, while Kentucky will ask voters whether to reject it. In other states, the outcomes of competitive races for the legislature and the governor’s mansion in November could pave the way either for protections or for restrictions and outright bans. Races further down the ballot matter, too, giving Americans more opportunities to vote on abortion, some with more lasting effects.”
Don’t skip a primary or a referendum coming up in your state. Don’t let obstacles and apathy keep you from voting. Your vote matters!
Real women tell their stories in Stand UP, Speak OUT episodes on Voting Rights and Reproductive Rights.
