You know our democracy is in trouble when legislators flat-out ignore the will of the voters. When a referendum goes to the voters, and the voters decisively say NO, Republican legislators create a work-around. That’s what happened in Arizona, where voters rejected vouchers by 65-35%; Republicans responded to their loss by proposing a dramatic expansion of their voucher programs.
Now in Kansas, the Daiky Kos reports that Republicans are developing ways to bypass a state referendum in 2022 in which voters stunningly rebuked a proposal to outlaw abortion by
Imagine that your party puts forward a constitutional amendment outlawing abortion before the public, and it gets demolished by voters. I mean, the kind of blowout we didn’t even see in a presidential election in Kansas, a deep-red state. In 27 out of 40 state state Senate districts, the amendment was defeated. Statewide, the amendment was a disaster for Republicans, helped set the stage for the retention of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, and made way for an equally solid win by Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids in a newly drawn district geared at making her a candidate they could beat.
So how do Republicans respond to this news in the land of Oz? I would say they are doubling down but at this point, I can’t even keep track of how many times they are going back to this old chestnut.
Legislation proposed by GOP state Sen. Chase Blasi, who recently replaced state Sen. Gene Sullentrop, indicates that Republicans have decided that, if Kansas residents won’t approve abortion bans, city councils and city governments will. Republicans hope they will find themselves stacked up with conservatives willing to ban abortion procedures everywhere in Kansas that they still exist.
Blasi represents District 27, where 54% of voters rejected the anti-abortion constitutional amendment. Despite that, the newly minted state senator wants to make a splash—by working at crafting legislation that would result in exactly the opposite of what his district chose at the ballot box.
Nothing says “I respect voters” like trying to fool them into thinking the issue is over—while putting the issue in front of friends and allies in lower offices before voters have even had a chance to consider who represents them. That’s right: Imagine passing legislation that allows a local city council member or mayor to move on an anti-abortion agenda three years into their term—when such a policy was expressly impossible for those three years, and before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
The bill offers a straightforward change to Kansas statute:
(b)
No political subdivision of the state shall regulate or restrict abortionExcept as provided in subsection (a), nothing shall prevent any city or county from regulating abortion within its boundaries as long as the regulation is at least as stringent as or more stringent than imposed by state law. In such cases, the more stringent local regulation shall control
The endgame here is not that hard to calculate. Republicans believe that their attempt to ban abortion during a special election failed because it got the attention of voters. If they can continuously place the issue on every single ballot from now on, voters will be forced to take abortion access into consideration in city council votes and mayoral votes in every locale in Kansas.
While there are few actual clinics in the state, fear, uncertainty, and doubt could certainly propel elections in every community—including places like my own sub-1,000-population hometown—into wild debates. Does our town want to allow a clinic? Would a council member vote to permanently ban one from ever coming into town?
With more Democrat-friendly city governments and county commissions in larger communities, Republicans are hoping to take on abortion again this November. This is a strategy built on moving the goalposts, to keep trying to make it easier and easier for the side that lost—badly—to come back and declare victory.
For Kansans who believed the Aug. 2 “No” vote on the constitutional amendment banning reproductive care would be the end of Republican attacks on the issue, it’s now crystal clear: Kansas Republicans have no intent of giving up on forcing birth, and banning abortion remains one of their top goals—whether the public is with them or not.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
SICK!
This is nothing new for Kansas. I was raised 50 miles from Bob Dole. He said on a radio talk show that…”he did not care what my constituents want I am going to vote for what the party wants.” Simple as that. Will never ever forget those words. People thought he was a great individual but he was really was not. He was just another Ronald Regan
The same thing is totally happening again in Kansas. For the Republicans it is to hell with want the voters want. They will vote for whatever, right or wrong, will keep them in office.
Catholic and evangelical churches in the red states advance the political, conservative agenda and economic and social, colonialism.
Oh my god, first Utah rethugs, now Kansas Rethugs trying to out-dictate the Missouri Rethugs.
Ohio government is more effective at quietly enacting religious agendas.
I can remember when they were mostly in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and north Florida. At least out loud. Good times.
Elections apparently don’t have consequences.
Elections do not have consequences when Republicans are gerrymandered into office for life.
“whether the public is with them or not”
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Neighboring state, Missouri, is suffering from the same strain of Republican virus…
REBECCA RIVAS – JANUARY 23, 2023
https://missouriindependent.com/
Missouri prosecutors face losing jurisdiction over violent crime cases
Proposal targeting St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner will be expanded to allow takeover by governor’s order anywhere in the state with violent crime rates
“On the first day of the legislative session, Republican state leaders said Missouri could strengthen its criminal justice system by appointing special prosecutors in areas they believe elected prosecutors aren’t managing their caseloads.”
“While Gardner was not named in their opening comments, it was implied.”
“As introduced, the bill would allow the governor to appoint a special prosecutor in the City of St. Louis for five years if the governor determines that ‘a threat to public safety and health exists’ in the city based on ‘reviewing various relevant statistics.’ The special prosecutor would have ‘exclusive jurisdiction’ to prosecute certain offenses — including murders, assaults, robberies, hijacking and other violent offenses — and be given a budget to hire up to 15 assistant prosecuting attorneys and 15 staffers.”
“Gardner is the first African-American to head the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office, and she won her re-election Democratic primary in 2020 with more than 60% of the vote.”
Political games? For sure.
And that proposal is racist from the start.
Is this legal? Where are the lawsuits?
It’s legal if you have power and the judges. And the existence of independent judges is negotiable.
DeSantis did something similar here in Florida. The public voted for former felons to have their right to vote reinstated and he worked his way around it.