Christina Craig/Lawrence Times
Hundreds of community members and representatives of local organizations rallied at South Park on Saturday, urging Kansans to oppose a constitutional amendment that would remove legal protections of abortion in Kansas.
The Kansas Legislature sent Gov. Laura Kelly a multifaceted election reform bill containing an unfunded mandate that local governments use ballots printed on watermarked paper.
A judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of 2021 election mandates passed by the Kansas Legislature. Voter rights groups have filed an appeal.
A bill approved this week by the Kansas Senate would limit drop boxes in all but the largest areas of the state to one per county and add new security measures for surveillance. It would also end a three-day grace period for mail ballots to arrive after Election Day.
Kansas Senators renewed a debate Monday over legislation to ban transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports, advancing the bill to a final vote despite pushback over what some considered discriminatory policy.
The “Value Them Both” amendment would pave the way to a complete ban of abortion in Kansas despite language implying otherwise, panelists said Saturday. If the majority votes “yes” in August, legislators could ban abortions even in cases of rape, incest, and risk of death.
Douglas County Democrats
The Douglas County Democratic Party is holding an event this weekend to help inform the public about how to protect the right to an abortion in Kansas.
Support for Senate Bill 484 is fueled by faith-based anti-LGBTQ interests who package the proposal as a necessary protection for girls against a hypothetical threat. The proposed legislation would ban transgender girls from participating in school activities with other girls, or transgender boys from playing with other boys.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said during a meet and greet with voters Monday in Harper County that he believes “Kansas elections are solid” and that he has “never seen the evidence” of widespread institutional problems here.
Nearly every state senator has signed on to a bill establishing a permanent memorial commemorating the Kansas suffragist movement in the state Capitol.
