By John Hanna, Heather Hollingsworth and Nick Riccardi | Related Press
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas on Tuesday started a partial hand recount of this month’s decisive statewide vote in favor of abortion rights, a transfer compelled by two Republican activists although the margin was so giant that the recount received’t change the result.
9 of the state’s 105 counties are doing the recount on the request of Melissa Leavitt, of Colby, in far northwestern Kansas, who has pushed for tighter election legal guidelines. A longtime anti-abortion activist, Mark Gietzen, of Wichita, is protecting many of the prices.
A bigger than anticipated turnout of voters on Aug. 2 rejected a poll measure that will have eliminated protections for abortion rights from the Kansas Structure and given to the Legislature the correct to additional limit abortion or ban it. It failed by 18 proportion factors, or 165,000 votes statewide.
It drew broad consideration as a result of it was the primary state referendum on abortion for the reason that U.S. Supreme Courtroom overturned Roe v. Wade in June.
WHY DO A RECOUNT IF IT WON’T CHANGE THE OUTCOME?
Gietzen and Leavitt have each urged there might need been issues with out pointing to any precise examples or proof. Gietzen acknowledged in an interview that he could be shocked if the Kansas recount modified the outcomes, however that he needs “the system fastened.” He pointed to potential issues that would have gone incorrect, resembling malicious software program, inaccurate voter rolls and voting legislation violations, although there isn't any proof that occurred.
Recounts more and more are instruments to encourage supporters of a candidate or trigger to consider an election was stolen moderately than misplaced. A wave of candidates who've echoed former President Donald Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was rigged have known as for recounts after dropping their very own Republican primaries.
In Nevada, lawyer Joey Gilbert raised cash to pay for a $190,000 recount that also confirmed him dropping the GOP nomination for governor by 26,000 votes. In Colorado, county clerk Tina Peters raised $256,000 to pay for a recount that confirmed she gained 13 votes complete in her bid for the get together nomination for secretary of state, however nonetheless misplaced by greater than 88,000 votes. Each candidates continued to say that they had really received the election whilst recounts confirmed they got here nowhere shut.
The refusal of candidates or campaigns to consider they may ever be defeated in an election is a harmful improvement for American democracy, stated Tammy Patrick, a former Arizona voting official who's now a senior adviser to Democracy Fund.
“What we see now's folks simply don’t consider they misplaced as a result of they’re continually being fed these lies concerning the legitimacy of the method,” Patrick stated. The decision for recounts “retains their base engaged, ginned up and donating,” she added.
Deb Otis of the nonprofit group Truthful Vote wrote a report that discovered about two recounts occurred a 12 months in statewide elections between 2000 and 2019, and in solely three did the outcomes change after the recounts uncovered tiny however vital flaws within the preliminary depend.
“Voters will begin dropping observe of when these claims are authentic and when a state ought to pay for a recount,” Otis stated.
Kansas legislation requires a recount if those that ask for it show they'll cowl the counties’ prices. The counties pay provided that the result modifications.
WHAT’S THE PROCESS?
Kansas legislation says counties have 5 days following a request to finish a recount. The clock for the recount on the abortion measure began Monday, when the Kansas secretary of state’s workplace concluded Gietzen and Leavitt may cowl the prices.
All 9 counties anticipated to complete by Saturday. 4 began recounting by Tuesday, and a type of, Lyon County, deliberate to complete by day’s finish. The opposite 5 deliberate to start out Wednesday.
WHERE IS THE MONEY COMING FROM?
Leavitt and Gietzen offered bank cards to pay for the almost $120,000 value, based on the secretary of state’s workplace. Leavitt has an internet fundraising web page that had raised greater than $47,000 as of Tuesday afternoon. Gietzen additionally stated he's getting donations from a community constructed over three a long time within the anti-abortion motion, however he declined to be extra particular.
The 2 initially needed the vote recounted in all 105 Kansas counties, however they couldn’t elevate the required $229,000. Gietzen stated the 9 counties had been chosen based mostly partly on their inhabitants and value.
Votes are being recounted in Douglas County, residence to the College of Kansas’ essential campus; Johnson County, in suburban Kansas Metropolis; Sedgwick County, residence to Wichita, Shawnee County, residence to Topeka; and Crawford, Harvey, Jefferson, Lyon and Thomas counties. Abortion opponents misplaced all of these counties besides Thomas.
WHO IS BEHIND THIS?
Gietzen has been lively within the anti-abortion motion and ceaselessly protests exterior a clinic offering abortions in Wichita. He leads his personal group, the Kansas Coalition for Life, which is separate from the bigger and extra influential Kansans for Life that wields vital energy on the Statehouse. He has pushed laws to ban most abortions at concerning the sixth week of being pregnant. Kansas legislation doesn’t do this till the twenty second week.
He additionally leads the Kansas Republican Meeting, which had some clout among the many GOP’s conservative activists greater than a decade in the past earlier than they solidified their maintain over the state get together group. He's retired from plane producer Boeing.
He’s run repeatedly and unsuccessfully for the Legislature, and he has been an activist in opposition to cities including fluoride to their consuming water, one thing Wichita rejected in 2012.
“He’s to date, proper, he’s coming across the different aspect,” stated former Republican state Rep. John Whitmer, host of a Wichita radio discuss present. “There’s simply not a variety of wiggle room with Mark.”
Leavitt owns a interest and craft retailer in Colby. She has questioned how Thomas County is dealing with its elections. She served on an area election advisory group.
WHY IS THE RESULT NOT GOING TO CHANGE?
Voters within the 9 counties solid roughly 59% of the greater than 922,000 ballots on the Aug. 2 poll query. They rejected the abortion opponents’ measure by 31 proportion factors — considerably bigger than the statewide complete.
Recounts virtually by no means reverse the result of elections, even within the closest races. Because the Florida recount for the 2000 presidential race, greater than 30 statewide elections throughout the U.S. have been the topic of recounts. The three that had been overturned had been determined by a whole bunch of votes — not 1000's.
The biggest lead erased by a statewide recount was 261 votes in Washington state’s 2004 election for governor. There is no such thing as a precedent in U.S. historical past of a recount reversing the result of an election determined by greater than 165,000 votes.
Even some sturdy abortion opponents see the recount as a waste of money and time. Whitmer stated the cash could possibly be a lot better spent on GOP efforts to unseat Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly or on aggressive legislative seats.
Hollingsworth reported from Kansas Metropolis, Missouri, and Riccardi, from Denver. Additionally contributing was Margaret Stafford in Kansas Metropolis, Missouri and Stephen Ohlemacher in Washington, D.C.