By Sherman Smith | editor-in-chief
Good morning! According to the Secretary of State's Office, 157,871 Kansans have already voted in the Tuesday primary.
That is a lot fewer than the 320,048 who voted in advance four years ago, when the anti-abortion amendment was on the ballot, according to the IKE Lab at Wichita State University.
Thad Allton for Kansas Reflector
OPINION
Opponents of Kansas judicial selection amendment have faced intimidation, gaslighting
By Clay Wirestone
An insular gang of rightwing reactionaries has spent the better part of two years rigging the judicial selection amendment vote.
Whether the measure succeeds or fails Tuesday, the playing field was tilted against opponents from the start. Supporters have manipulated the system at every step to suppress voter turnout, silence advocates and spread misleading rhetoric.
Kansans overwhelmingly support abortion rights and strong public schools. They have been gaslit by elected officials from gerrymandered legislative districts who seek the eradication of both.
The contest was never remotely fair.
But then, it wasn’t meant to be.
John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout
Most states temporarily house foster children in hotels, offices
More than 9,000 children in foster care had to temporarily stay in hotels, office buildings and other potentially unsafe settings when states couldn’t find suitable places for them, according to a new federal audit.
The inspector general’s office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that states had an especially difficult time placing older children and children with complex behavioral and mental health needs. The pandemic and the opioid abuse epidemic also created challenges during the period covered by the audit, which was January 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.
6 p.m. Aug. 12, Celtic Fox in Topeka. Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will answer audience questions about Kansas Reflector reporting on the primary and general elections. Host: Capital Area Democratic Women's Club.
2 p.m. Sept. 27, Red Rocks Visitor Center in Emporia. Host: Red Rocks.
6 p.m. Dec. 3, Prairie Star Restaurant in Manhattan. Host: League of Women Voters of Manhattan and Riley County.
If you're interested in having us talk in your town, email Sherman Smith at [email protected].
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