CRAWFORD COUNTY, Kan. — Throughout Tuesday morning, afternoon and evening, residents packed area voting booths to cast their ballots for their top picks in Kansas' primary election.
It's an election that decides the nominees on the ballot in the general election, slated for Tuesday, Nov. 8. One question that was on the primary ballot but does not directly affect the general election, however, caught the attention of many voters, resulting in a higher-than-average turnout for a primary election — the Value Them Both Amendment.
With Tuesday's election, Kansas became the first state since Roe v. Wade was overturned to ask voters whether the state's constitution should secure the right to an abortion or whether the issue should go to the state legislature.
The proposed amendment stated that: "Because Kansans value both women and children, the constitution of the state of Kansas does not require government funding of abortion and does not create or secure a right to abortion. To the extent permitted by the constitution of the United States, the people, through their elected state representatives and state senators, may pass laws regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, laws that account for circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, or circumstances of necessity to save the life of the mother."
Between noon and 1 p.m., at St. John Lutheran Church (Pittsburg) and Sacred Heart Catholic Church (Frontenac), poll workers reported a turnout of approximately 500 voters.
Several supporters of the amendment spoke after voting in Tuesday's election, including Pittsburg resident Ed Martin.
"It's important because killing babies is wrong," he said. "It's just that simple … It's about as important of a thing that we can vote on. In the first place, legislation is not supposed to be done by judges, it's supposed to be done by Congress, and this was done by judges, and it had no business being there in the first place."
Another supporter, Jim Barone of Frontenac, agreed with Martin's sentiment in handing the issue to the state legislature. Barone noted that he served as a state legislator in the Kansas Senate from 1997 to 2008.
"We're yes votes," he said, standing beside his wife. "It's simple. It simply gives the power back to the people to decide what they want to do because they will elect the legislators and the legislators determine. If they don't like what the legislators do, they can throw them out and put new ones in.
"Right now, it's really up to the [Kansas] Supreme Court, and once they are in there, they are there for life, and the people have very little say. I think this puts the power back in the people where it belongs."
Those on the other side believe abortion should remain a constitutional right in Kansas, with women free to make their own decisions about whether to have an abortion. One such voter was Lisa Fee of Pittsburg.
"Well, for one thing, the right for women to make sure they have access to abortion was the number one thing that got me here today," she said Tuesday. "Wanted to make sure women's rights are protected […] I'm a progressive Christian, and I still believe women have the right to make that decision between them and the doctors. […] It's a very personal thing. We don't do this to any other sex in making them do certain things or not making them do certain things. It's a much bigger issue than just the 'yes' or 'no.' It's a societal thing, and I think men trying to make decisions for women is not okay."
Another Pittsburg resident, Dena Short, shared the same opinion as Fee regarding women's reproductive rights.
"This particular one [the Value Them Both Amendment] is something so important to me just because this can take away a lot of people's rights as individuals," she said. "[…] You have women who are going to have unfortunate things that may happen to them. Small children, as far as rape and whatever, you want them to be able to have their rights as well. Everybody really needs to have their rights to make their own choices of how they want to live their life and what they feel is appropriate for them and not have somebody make that choice for them."
Prior to election day, the vote on the Value Them Both Amendment was expected to be close, with a July 18 poll by the organization Co/efficient finding 47 respondents saying they would vote yes, 43 percent saying they would vote no, and 10 percent undecided.
As results came in Tuesday evening, however, the amendment appeared to be headed toward defeat, with 62 percent “no” votes compared to 38 percent “yes” votes among more than 60 percent of all precincts statewide reporting as of 10 p.m. In Crawford County, the vote was 5,582 “no” votes versus 4,520 “yes” votes, according to unofficial results released by the county clerk’s office at 9:38 p.m.
