For the second weekend in a row, Politico’s Sam Stein guest hosted MSNBC’s Velshi. On this Saturday, Stein accused pro-lifers in Kansas of “essentially trick their citizens into voting away their own rights” on an upcoming ballot measure on August 2.
Stein went to commercial teasing the future segment with all the hyperbole that one expects from MSNBC, “It’s been just one month since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. WadeThe legal chaos is still causing havoc with the lives of people in need of reproductive health care across the country. Coming up we’ll take you to one so-called safe state where anti-abortion forces are trying to essentially trick their citizens into voting away their own rights.”
Several minutes later when Stein finally got around to the issue, he added more negative descriptors of the measure, “there’s some confusing and deceptive things happening with this ballot measure… the vote is definitely happening in the primary, so you’d expect, kind of, a lower turnout than in the general election.”
For Stein, the date isn’t even the worst part. Stein addressed Sapphire Garcia-Lies (President of Kansas Birth Justice Society), and continued:
And then what’s a little tricky is the wording of the amendment on the ballot can be confusing. Voting for the amendment, if you’re for the amendment that’s actually voting against abortion rights and voting against the amendment is a vote to preserve abortion rights, so if we’re all confused, I have to imagine that voters in the state are confused. Does this seem like a problem to you?
Kansas’s wording is not that confusing. The question is “the constitution of the state of Kansas does not require government funding of abortion and does not create or secure a right to abortion.”
If voters are genuinely confused by the inclusion of word “not,” then right beside the question on the state’s official voter guide on the question is the meaning of yes and no votes. This is also necessary because the measure must be written in this way as pro-lifers seek to amend state constitution to address a RoeKansas Supreme Court ruling.
Despite the explanations and clarifications provided by the state, Garcia-Lies was happy to agree with Stein, “It has been a real problem and it was done with purpose and intention, they want voters to be confused. It is also no accident that this is on the primary ballot instead of the main ballot, it’s a huge issue, it is impossible to read that ballot and get a clear picture of what you’re actually voting for and I think that’s a travesty, that’s an injustice.”
Stein and other people are trying to make excuses why they might lose, as the graphs Stein displayed indicated that the measure was winning the polls 47-43.
This segment was sponsored and produced by Dell.
This transcript is for the show on July 23, 2009.
MSNBC Velshi
7/23/2022
9:00 AM ET
SAM STEIN: It’s been just one month since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. WadeLegal chaos is still a problem, with serious implications for anyone who needs reproductive healthcare in this country. Coming up we’ll take you to one so-called safe state where anti-abortion forces are trying to essentially trick their citizens into voting away their own rights.
…
9:53 ET
And one of those states could be Kansas and Sapphire, there’s some confusing and deceptive things happening with this ballot measure in your state. For one thing, it’s my understanding, is that the vote happening—, well I, the vote is definitely happening in the primary, so you’d expect, kind of, a lower turnout than in the general election.
And then what’s a little tricky is the wording of the amendment on the ballot can be confusing. Voting for the amendment, if you’re for the amendment that’s actually voting against abortion rights and voting against the amendment is a vote to preserve abortion rights, so if we’re all confused, I have to imagine that voters in the state are confused. Does this seem like a problem to you?
SAPPHIRE GARCIA LIES: This has been a problem, and they did it with intention and purpose. They want people to get confused. It is also no accident that this is on the primary ballot instead of the main ballot, it’s a huge issue, it is impossible to read that ballot and get a clear picture of what you’re actually voting for and I think that’s a travesty, that’s an injustice.
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