Wichita Residents Line Up to Cast Their Votes in Kansas Abortion Rights Referendum

Kansas residents voted to protect abortion rights in the state in a referendum held on August 2, local media reported. According to an AP estimate, 58.8 percent of voters voted no to a constitutional amendment restriction abortion access. The amendment, dubbed “Value Them Both,” would have affirmed the lack of a constitutional right to abortion in the state and would have meant laws to regulate abortion could be passed by state legislators, according to the official ballot. According to the ballot, a vote against the amendment “would make no changes to the constitution of the state of Kansas, and could restrict the people, through their elected state legislators, from regulating abortion by leaving in place the recently recognized right to abortion.” The state was the first to vote on the issue of abortion rights following the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v Wade. This footage was published by The Wichita Beacon reporter Trace Alan Salzbrenner, and shows voters in Wichita lining up to cast their votes. Credit: Trace Salzbrenner/The Wichita Beacon via Storyful