KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas Ethics Commission says it is aware of unsolicited text messages received by Kansas voters Monday on Amendment 2 that some have described as confusing.
KSHB 41 has received several news tips regarding the text messages.
"Women in KS are losing their choice on reproductive rights," the text message reads. "Voting YES will give women a choice. Vote YES to protect women's health. Stop2end."
A spokesperson for the Kansas Secretary of State said it received phone calls over the text messages. Kansas law doesn't authorize the Secretary of State's office to regulate campaign ads or messaging.
The messages are being received from numbers that begin with "888" and have no attribution of a sender.
Through a Twitter thread, the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission also addressed the texts.
The commission said that under current Kansas law, text messages advocating for ballot initiatives don't require a disclaimer saying who paid for them.
Ashley All, with Kansans for Constitutional Freedom, sent KSHB 41 the following statement:
This is yet another example of the desperate and deceitful tactics of the Value Them Both campaign, lying to the voters of Kansas,” said Ashley All, spokesperson for Kansans for Constitutional Freedom. “The truth is that voting yes opens the door to a total ban on abortion. A NO vote maintains current regulations on abortion. A NO vote protects our constitutionl right to safe, legal abortion in Kansas. A NO vote keeps the constitution unchanged. A NO vote prevents government control over private medical decisions.”
Kansans for Constitutional Freedom are urging voters to vote no on the amendment.
Representatives with the Value Them Both Coalition, which is in favor of Amendment 2, said it was not behind the texts:
"This is not from any member organization of the Value Them Both Coalition, nor the coalition itself. All Value Them Both Coalition communications include identifying information of the source, which this text does not."
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