County not included in abortion recount

A recount requested by a Colby woman of votes on an Aug. 2 constitutional amendment ballot question was scaled back to nine counties after she failed to submit the full amount required for a bond.

Statewide, voters rejected the constitution amendment by a 59% to 41% margin.

Colby resident Melissa Leavitt first asked that votes in all 105 counties be recounted. That would have cost $229,334.35.

Leavitt launched an online fundraiser to pay the bond.

Mark Gietzen, president of Kansas Republican Assembly, said the group’s credit card was used to pay a bond of $119,644.

The secretary of state’s office accepted the bond, and recounts were ordered for nine Kansas counties. Marion County is not one of them.

Crawford, Douglas, Harvey, Jefferson, Johnson, Lyon, Sedgwick, Shawnee, and Thomas were ordered to recount their votes.

“A bond has been provided and accepted by our office,” said Whitney Tempel, director of communications and policy for the secretary of state’s office. “These nine counties may now begin their hand recount of the Value Them Both constitutional amendment.”