Frustrated by Kansans overwhelming aupport for abortion rights, GOP tries to change how judges chosen

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/us/elections/kansas-supreme-court-justices-election-abortion.html

Kansans Will Vote on an Elected Supreme Court. The Target: Abortion.
Frustrated by the appointed court’s support of abortion rights, which has been affirmed resoundingly by voters, Republicans are pushing an Aug. 4 referendum to elect Kansas justices.



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Next month, Kansas will again vote on a measure with consequences for abortion — as well as for L.G.B.T.Q. rights, congressional redistricting and other hot-button issues. But none of those words will appear on the ballot.

Kansans this time will decide whether to elect their state’s supreme court.

Frustrated by the appointed court’s decisions, especially on abortion, Kansas’ Republican-controlled legislature put a measure on the Aug. 4 primary ballot to abolish the current system under which the governor — since 2019, a Democrat and supporter of abortion rights — chooses justices from a list submitted by a nine-member commission of lawyers.

Republicans see this as their best hope to finally overturn a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision that recognized a right to abortion in the state’s Constitution, a decision affirmed by voters in 2022 when they declined to overturn it.

[Buckeyeblue]

1. Can someone from Kansas explain the state's politics

How does Kansas elect a Democratic governor, support abortion rights and elect two Republican Senators?

[Bengus81]

2. You tell me, I've lived here for almost 73 years. Over the decades multiple Democrats

have been elected to Governor including several women starting in the 80's. Rep Sharice David is the only person in the US Congress. Republicans were going to redraw her district but they gave it up.

One thing, no MAGA's or Republicans want those damn data centers here. Finally something we both agree on.

[Racygrandma]

3. Look up Kansas gerrymander map

In 2022 they managed to put parts of Wyandotte county and Lawrence (think KU) into far rural western Kansas. Earlier a judge ruled it not legal but I guess in 2022 they pushed it through. The abortion rights thing shocked me. The local news reported the lines at the polling stations downtown. Yeah

[Bengus81]

5. It won by almost a 60/40 margin. When I saw the lines driving around I knew it

would win but not by that margin. I think a load of Republican women snuck away and voted real quite like for what was right.

[Buckeyeblue]

8. But then they vote for Republicans in the Senate

Who are going to do everything they can to deny women reproductive freedom. I don't understand it.

[Shrek]

12. Senate Republicans are irrelevant since it's now a state issue

Our Supreme Court ruled that reproductive rights are protected by the Kansas constitution, and the voters affirmed that decision in a referendum a few years ago.

[Bengus81]

16. Exactly why their ginning up this RW take over of the Kansas SC if passed

I remember some of those RW asshats the day they lost saying there are other ways to get abortion rights repealed in the Kansas Constitution. And here we are.

People in Kansas better wake up or repealing abortion in the Constitution will be just step one.

[Buckeyeblue]

19. What the SC said is that abortion is not a constitutional right

However, that leaves an opening for congress to pass a law banning abortion. There are many things that congress can do to make reproductive care difficult or nearly impossible.

[Buckeyeblue]

7. But gerrymandering doesn't impact the senate races

[EdmondDantes_]

9. Not directly, but it does indirectly

Democrats in a gerrymandered district have lower incentive to turn out because their preferred candidate for the House and other races aren't likely to win.

But there's also that voters can be complex. Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York elected Republican governors in recent memory. Massachusetts even elected a Republican senator. For those opposed to abortion, it's often a singular issue. It hasn't been the same singular focus in a lot of pro choice people. Either we live in blue states that are still protecting it or if they are in a red state they value taxes or guns or anti immigration or some combination of Republican policies more.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

13. Like in Texas, voters stat home because their vote doesnt matter

[KS Toronado]

10. Roger Marshall will soon be history

[The Madcap]

15. Let us hope.

He is a nutcase.

[Bengus81]

17. Always amazed me how a freakin' DOCTOR votes against everything health

related that would help his voters and everyone else. He needs to be run out on a GD rail.

[KS Toronado]

18. We would have to go to Florida to run him out on a rail

because that's where both of our Senators live, neither one really cares about Kansans.

[Bengus81]

4. They always run issues they think they can't win on in a primary

instead of in November. If they win it will never be anything but a RW nut job SC from here on out.

Right now we elect our Judges which could be on the SC at some time. Democrat Gov's have sent their picks as well as Republicans sending their choices. It's been this way I think going back into the 50's.

That's not good enough for these asshats.

[tanyev]

6. If you can't win on your ideas, then you got to work the refs.

😒

[KS Toronado]

11. We do not want voters picking Judges

Kansas is still a red State, voters would pick a Republican Judge over a Democrat. We have a fair Supreme
Court now because they lean Liberal, let's not make it an image of SCOTUS.

[Shrek]

14. Somebody is spending a lot of TV money to oppose the referendum

I see a multiple ads pretty much every evening.