Kansas GOP candidate blames surge of young women voters for ballot defeat

Pat Proctor, a Republican state representative seeking the Kansas secretary-of-state office, criticized the turnout of young women voters after a 2022 ballot measure restricting reproductive rights was rejected. In a video released by his opponent, he singled out 20- to 30-year-old women, describing their presence at the polls as a “long line” that “stole” the result, while noting they were all eligible voters. The Secretary of State’s website lists 575,983 unaffiliated voters in the state, and Republican voter registration has fallen by roughly 10,000 since the start of 2025.

A Kansas Reflector report called the 2022 vote “historic,” noting women made up almost 56 percent of all voters and 61 percent of those aged 18-24. Retired researcher Earl F. Glynn cited census-based voter files showing about 90,000 more female than male voters in Kansas. The episode reflects broader tensions in red states over reproductive-rights legislation, with several states passing measures to protect access in recent elections.