OLATHE, Kan. — Tuesday night's primary election in Kansas saw voters overwhelmingly choose "no" on Amendment 2, regarding the state legislature's ability to enact abortion restrictions.
Voters in favor of "no" are celebrating, and looking to the near future.
"This just changed me, and I was like, give me the signs, how do I get involved," Sara Boydston said.
Boydston said Amendment Two sparked her engagement and activity in the Kansas primary.
"Most of the abortions that I’ve been around are people who desperately want babies, and they just aren’t viable," Boydston said. "It’s so much more than just babies, it’s the autonomy to make my own decisions about my body and what’s right for me."
Komalpreet Kaur just graduated from high school. She's a few months from voting, but her voter-eligible peers got involved.
"I think it was very cool to see on social media and specifically Snapchat — kids telling other kids, 'Get registered to vote, this is the deadline,'" she said.
Claire Reagan organized before the primary, hopeful for high turnout.
"We knocked on hundreds of doors, we dropped literature on hundreds of porches, it was a huge collective effort of people who cared," Reagan said.
Data published Wednesday by Johnson County shows not just historic turnout, but a wide margin of victory for Vote No by a nearly 90,000 vote difference in day-of voting, and a 50,000-plus vote performance in advance voting.
KSHB 41 spoke to Kansans for Constitutional Freedom, the leading coalition in favor of Vote No, and they are not only celebrating this win — they’re looking ahead to what comes next across the country.
"We fully believe that there will be efforts in the legislature this year to further restrict access to abortion and other healthcare," Ashley All, with Kansans For Constitutional Freedom, said. "Even though this amendment failed, they will look for other opportunities and other ways to do that."
Those who voted no say their work is just beginning.
"Those elections in November have to be a priority for everybody who voted no, those elections are what’s really important," Reagan said.
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