Kansas’s abortion vote could prove decisive for the US midterms

In 2020, 56.2 per cent of Kansas voters cast their ballot for Donald Trump – 15 percentage points in his favour. Yesterday, many of these same voters returned to the polling stations. This time, more than 58 per cent of voters cast their ballot in favour of retaining the right to an abortion in the state’s constitution.

This overwhelming victory for abortion rights in a comfortably red state is providing insight into how the abortion debate will play out State-side in the latter half of the year. It’s not simply the result, but the margin by which Kansans voted in favour of abortion rights that is notable. This suggests the average American not only cares about the issue (the number of votes cast in this primary election which included the referendum on the abortion amendment ‘more than double those cast in the 2018 primary’, according to The Kansas City Star), but is in favour of retaining abortion rights.

This is in line with polling around the right to access abortion, which shows majority support in America, and goes as high as 67 per cent support to access in the first trimester.