2022 Kansas abortion referendum

2022 Kansas abortion referendum

August 2, 2022 (2022-08-02)
Should there be no Kansas constitutional right to abortion or to require the government funding of abortion, and reserve to the people of Kansas, through their elected state legislators, the right to pass laws to regulate abortion, including, but not limited to, in circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, or when necessary to save the life of the mother?
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 385,014 40.84% No 557,837 59.16% Total votes 942,851 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 1,929,972 48.85%
Results by county Results by congressional district For   80–90%   70–80%   60–70%   50–60% Against   80–90%   70–80%   60–70%   50–60% Results by county
Source: Secretary of State of Kansas

Elections in Kansas
Federal government Presidential elections 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Presidential primaries Democratic 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Republican 2008 2012 2016 2024 U.S. Senate elections 1861 1865 1867 1867 sp 1871 1873 1874 sp 1877 1879 1883 1885 1888 1891 1893 sp 1897 1901 1903 1907 1907 sp 1909 1913 1914 1918 1920 1924 1926 1930 1930 sp 1932 1936 1938 1942 1944 1948 1950 1950 sp 1954 1956 1960 1962 1962 sp 1966 1968 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1996 sp 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 2020 2022 2026 U.S. House of Representatives elections 1859 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 2nd sp 1886 1888 1889 4th sp 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1903 7th sp 1904 1906 1907 1st sp 1908 1910 1911 2nd sp 1912 7th sp 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 2nd sp 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1943 2nd sp 1944 1946 1948 1950 3rd sp 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 2nd sp 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2017 4th sp 2018 2020 2022 2024
State government State elections 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 Gubernatorial elections 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 Secretary of State elections 2014 2018 2022 Attorney General elections 2014 2018 2022 Treasurer elections 2014 2018 2022 Senate elections 2012 2016 2020 2024 House of Representatives elections 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Ballot measures 1867 Suffrage referendum 2005 Amendment 1 2022 Abortion referendum
Kansas City Mayoral elections 2013 2017 2021
Overland Park Mayoral elections 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021
Wichita Mayoral elections 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
v t e

The 2022 Kansas abortion referendum was a rejected legislatively referred constitutional amendment to the Kansas Constitution that appeared on the ballot on August 2, 2022, alongside primary elections for statewide offices, with early voting from July 13. If enacted, the amendment would have declared that the Kansas Constitution does not guarantee a right to abortion, given the Kansas state government power to prosecute individuals involved in abortions, and further declared that the Kansas government is not required to fund abortions.^[1][2][3]

On June 24, 2022, six weeks before the referendum, the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing individual states to ban abortion. While the Kansas referendum had already been scheduled, the Dobbs decision greatly increased the impact of its results, both in terms of its potential effects and as a bellwether of voter sentiment about abortion bans.^[4] The amendment was ultimately defeated by an 18-point margin, which was partially attributed to higher-than-usual turnout and an increase in voter registration in the run-up to the referendum.