Recount fails to ban abortion in Kansas — succeeds in undermining faith in elections: analysis

The limited recount of an anti-choice ballot initiative in Kansas confirmed that the effort to ban abortion failed in a landslide after the final county involved finished its recounting on Sunday.

"Kansas reaffirmed its landslide vote to uphold abortion rights after election officials on Sunday finished a recount that never had any chance of changing the outcome but was sought by an election denier and anti-abortion activist advancing baseless allegations of fraud," the Kansas City Star reported Sunday. "But the recount of such a lopsided vote, rather than building credibility in the results, risks undermining trust in elections because the process provided fringe, diehard amendment supporters an opportunity to attempt to create an aura of uncertainty surrounding the vote when, in fact, none ever existed."

Far-right activists spend roughly $120,000 confirming the abortion ban lost in a landslide.

"The Aug. 2 election was — and is — a landslide victory for abortion rights supporters. Kansas was the first state to vote on abortion rights after the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned Roe v. Wade. President Joe Biden and national Democrats quickly seized on the outcome as evidence that voters broadly support abortion rights and will vote on the issue," the newspaper reported. "The election also produced extraordinary turnout for a primary election. About 48% of registered voters cast a ballot."

The recount was held in Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Douglas, Crawford, Harvey, Jefferson, Lyon and Thomas.

Kansas state Rep. Stephanie Clayton (D) said the effort was meant to punish supporters of women's rights.

“It looks insidious," Clayton said. "It’s a two-pronged attack. It’s attacking our election system and it’s attacking, specifically, the counties that didn’t vote the way that they wanted them to."

Read the full report.