Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.In today’s edition, Adam Edelman previews two under-the-radar ballot measures that voters will decide on in next week’s primaries.Plus, our Capitol Hill team has the latest on Todd Blanche’s confirmation saga.
Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here.— Adam WollnerAbortion is on the ballot again in two statesAnalysis by Adam EdelmanFollowing the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v.Wade, abortion rights advocates brought the fight to the states — including red ones.
That year, Kansas voters overwhelmingly struck down a proposed constitutional amendment that would have removed language enshrining abortion rights in their state — the first victory that year in what quickly became a clean sweep in six states.Two years later, Missouri voters approved a ballot initiative that effectively protected abortion rights until fetal viability — one of seven states where similar measures passed that cycle.
Next Tuesday, abortion is on the ballot again in these two states — albeit indirectly.In Missouri, one initiative on the ballot would require citizen-led constitutional amendments to secure a majority in all eight congressional districts — a significantly higher bar than the current threshold of a simple statewide majority.
In Kansas, voters will weigh in on a proposal to change how state Supreme Court justices are chosen.Currently, the governor (who since 2019 has been a Democrat) gets to appoint justices to the bench, selected from a list created by a nine-member nonpartisan commission.
Tuesday’s ballot measure would instead allow for the direct election of state Supreme Court justices.In a state where registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats 2 to 1, the proposal essentially bets that voters will reliably elect c...