Johnson County early voting total was nearly 4 times that of 2018. Wyandotte County up too
Early voter turnout in Johnson and Wyandotte counties was significantly higher than it was in 2018 for the last midterm primary election, indicating elevated interest in this year’s primary.
Kansans are voting on an amendment that would remove the right to abortion from the state constitution, opening up the door for lawmakers to further restrict or possibly ban the procedure.
As of Monday afternoon, 98,751 votes were cast early in Johnson County, according to election commissioner Fred Sherman. That’s nearly four times the number of early votes counted in the 2018 primary, when only 24,808 early votes were cast.
In the 2018 primary, those early votes made up about 20% of the total number of votes cast in Johnson County.
Wyandotte County tallied 5,020 in-person early votes during this primary. In the 2018 primary, the total number of early votes cast was around 3,090. That’s an increase of around 62%.
Kansas will be the first state to hold a vote on abortion rights following the Supreme Court’s decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREYour quick guide to the Kansas abortion amendment
The Kansas state constitution currently protects the right to abortion, but the upcoming Aug. 2 vote will ask voters to decide on an amendment that would get rid of that right.
If Kansans vote yes on the ballot and the amendment passes, the legislature will have the opportunity to impose new restrictions on abortion, which could include banning the procedure. A ban would not go in place immediately, but legislators would be able to pass one. Earlier this year, a state legislator introduced a bill that would have banned and criminalized nearly all abortions, but it never got a hearing and died once the legislative session closed in May.
If Kansans vote no and the amendment does not pass, the legislature would continue to be barred from passing most legislation that impedes on an individual’s access to abortion. Any new abortion restrictions would need to clear an extremely high level of “strict scrutiny” from the court to become law. Current abortion restrictions could be challenged in court, but any actual changes to the current restrictions would depend on Kansas courts ruling that the regulation in question violates the state’s constitution.
All registered voters can participate in the vote, regardless of party affiliation.
The Star answered the most common reader questions we received about the abortion amendment here.
Election Day is on Tuesday Aug. 2, and polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Find your polling place by typing in your address here. You can also return your absentee ballot on Election Day using these steps.
Curious who is on your ballot and what they stand for? Check out The Star’s voter guide here.
Do you have more questions about the August 2 primary elections in Kansas and Missouri? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published August 1, 2022 at 6:34 PM.
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