Kansas abortion vote: Why recount accompanied by such a large margin?

Kansas abortion vote: Why recount accompanied by such a large margin?

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas on Tuesday began a partial hand recount of this month's decisive statewide ballot inside good turn of abortion rights, a go forced by place of set of two Republican activists flat though the margin was so large that the recount won't alter the outcome.

Nine of the state's 105 counties are doing the recount at the appeal of Melissa Leavitt, of Colby, inside a lengthy way northwestern Kansas, who has pushed for tighter election laws. A longtime anti-abortion activist, Mark Gietzen, of Wichita, is covering most of the costs.

A larger than expected turnout of voters on Aug. 2 rejected a ballot measure that would have removed protections for abortion rights from the Kansas Constitution accompanied by every one one other accompanied by specified to the Legislature the fair to further restrict abortion or ban it. It failed by 18 percentage points, or 165,000 votes statewide.

It drew broad watching since it was the earliest condition referendum on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade inside June.

WHY DO A RECOUNT IF IT WON'T CHANGE THE OUTCOME?

Gietzen accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Leavitt have both suggested there ability have been problems lacking pointing to some real examples or evidence. Gietzen acknowledged inside an gathering that he would exist surprised if the Kansas recount changed the results, nevertheless that he wants "the system fixed." He pointed to potential things that could have gone wrong, such while malicious software, inaccurate voter rolls accompanied by every one one other accompanied by voting rules with every one other accompanied by regulations violations, flat though there is no indeed indeed proof that happened.

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Recounts increasingly are tools to encourage supporters of a candidate or spring to exist convinced by an election was stolen by preference than lost. A wave of candidates who have echoed former President Donald Trump's untruth that the 2020 election was rigged have called for recounts following losing their own Republican primaries.

In Nevada, attorney Joey Gilbert raised money to pay for a $190,000 recount that still showed him losing the GOP nomination for executive by 26,000 votes. In Colorado, county office employee Tina Peters raised $256,000 to pay for a recount that showed she gained 13 votes total inside her provide for the communal gathering nomination for secretary of state, nevertheless still lost by additional than 88,000 votes. Both candidates continued to claim they had actually won the election flat while recounts showed they came nowhere close.

The non-acceptance of candidates or campaigns to exist convinced by they could at some hour dated exist defeated inside an election is a dangerous evolution for American democracy, said Tammy Patrick, a former Arizona voting official who is now a older counsellor to Democracy Fund.

"What we see now is people fair don't exist convinced by they lost since they're constantly actuality fed these lies concerning the legitimacy of the process," Patrick said. The call for recounts "keeps their base engaged, ginned up accompanied by every one one other accompanied by donating," she added.

Deb Otis of the nonprofit category Fair Vote wrote a report that found concerning place of set of two recounts occurred a year inside statewide elections inside the centre of 2000 accompanied by every one one other accompanied by 2019, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by inside only trio did the results alter following the recounts uncovered tiny nevertheless significant flaws inside the initial count.

"Voters will begin losing track of when these claims are legal accompanied by every one one other accompanied by when a condition should pay for a recount," Otis said.

Kansas rules with every one other accompanied by regulations requires a recount if those who inquire for it demonstrate they tin cover the counties' costs. The counties pay only if the consequence changes.

WHAT'S THE PROCESS?

Kansas rules with every one other accompanied by regulations says counties have five days following a appeal to complete a recount. The timepiece for the recount on the abortion measure started Monday, when the Kansas secretary of state's office concluded Gietzen accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Leavitt could cover the costs.

All nine counties expected to complete by Saturday. Four started recounting by Tuesday, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by one of those, Lyon County, planned to complete by day's end. The other five planned to begin Wednesday.

WHERE IS THE MONEY COMING FROM?

Leavitt accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Gietzen provided commend cards to pay for the almost $120,000 cost, according to the secretary of state's office. Leavitt has an online fundraising page that had raised additional than $47,000 while of Tuesday afternoon. Gietzen excessively said he is getting donations from a web built over trio decades inside the anti-abortion movement, nevertheless he declined to exist additional specific.

The place of set of two at earliest wanted the ballot recounted inside all 105 Kansas counties, nevertheless they couldn't lift the required $229,000. Gietzen said the nine counties were chosen based inside small part on their inhabitants accompanied by every one one other accompanied by cost.

Votes are actuality recounted inside Douglas County, place of residence to the University of Kansas' main campus; Johnson County, inside suburban Kansas City; Sedgwick County, place of residence to Wichita, Shawnee County, place of residence to Topeka; accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Crawford, Harvey, Jefferson, Lyon accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Thomas counties. Abortion opponents lost all of those counties except Thomas.

WHO IS BEHIND THIS?

Gietzen has been operative inside the anti-abortion movement accompanied by every one one other accompanied by regularly protests outer external outside a clinic providing abortions inside Wichita. He leads his own group, the Kansas Coalition for Life, which is separate from the larger accompanied by every one one other accompanied by additional influential Kansans for Life that wields significant ability at the Statehouse. He has pushed legislation to ban most abortions at concerning the sixth week of pregnancy. Kansas rules with every one other accompanied by regulations doesn't do that until the 22nd week.

He excessively leads the Kansas Republican Assembly, which had some clout among the GOP's conservative activists additional than a decade ago earlier to they solidified their clasp over the condition communal gathering organization. He is former from aircraft manufacturer Boeing.

He's sprint repeatedly accompanied by every one one other accompanied by unsuccessfully for the Legislature, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by he has been an activist opposed to cities adding fluoride to their drinking water, something Wichita rejected inside 2012.

"He's so far, right, he's coming around the other side," said former Republican condition Rep. John Whitmer, host of a Wichita radio talk show. "There's fair not a a large amount of wiggle space accompanied by Mark."

Leavitt owns a pastime accompanied by every one one other accompanied by skill store inside Colby. She has questioned how Thomas County is handling its elections. She served on a local election advisory group.

WHY IS THE RESULT NOT GOING TO CHANGE?

Voters inside the nine counties cast violently 59% of the additional than 922,000 ballots on the Aug. 2 ballot question. They rejected the abortion opponents' measure by 31 percentage points — significantly larger than the statewide total.

Recounts almost never reverse the consequence of elections, flat inside the closest races. Since the Florida recount for the 2000 presidential race, additional than 30 statewide elections across the U.S. have been the theme of recounts. The trio that were overturned were decided by hundreds of votes — not thousands.

The largest lead erased by a statewide recount was 261 votes inside Washington state's 2004 election for governor. There is no indeed indeed precedent inside U.S. history of a recount reversing the consequence of an election decided by additional than 165,000 votes.

Even some strong abortion opponents see the recount while a waste of hour dated accompanied by every one one other accompanied by money. Whitmer said the money could exist a a large amount of better spent on GOP efforts to unseat Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly or on competitive legislative seats.

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Hollingsworth reported from Kansas City, Missouri, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Riccardi, from Denver. Also contributing was Margaret Stafford inside Kansas City, Missouri accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Stephen Ohlemacher inside Washington, D.C.

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Kansas abortion vote: Why recount accompanied by such a large margin?