JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
While Congress is too divided to pass many laws, nearly all state legislatures are controlled by one party or the other. They've been passing laws on abortion, guns and other vital issues. And Kansas is one of 20 states where Republicans have a so-called supermajority in the legislature, but it's on the line in upcoming elections. Zane Irwin with the Kansas News Service went to the capitol to see what's at stake.
ZANE IRWIN, BYLINE: Kari and Charlie Quiring didn't drive two hours to the ornate state capitol in Topeka, Kan., to talk about politics.
CHARLIE QUIRING: I came up here for the architecture. I mean, really...
KARI QUIRING: Yeah. For the building itself more than anything.
IRWIN: Visitors like the Quirings - a therapist and a home goods salesperson - come from around the state to admire the stunning symmetry of the capitol building. But they were surprised to hear how asymmetrical the power is in the state House. There are enough Republicans to pass laws even when the Democratic governor vetoes them.
K QUIRING: Really? I had no idea.
IRWIN: With two-thirds of the seats in the state House and Senate, the GOP has what's known as a supermajority, making the legislature even more conservative than Kansans overall, who elected Democratic Governor Laura Kelly twice. And they've used the supermajority to override Kelly's vetoes 15 times in the last two years, passing bills that restrict reproductive rights, transgender care and access to food stamps. Patrick Miller, a political scientist at Kent State University, says the battle for the governor's veto is not unique to Kansas.
PATRICK MILLER: We're seeing more of these legislative supermajorities, you know, really as a result of polarization and gerrymandering.
IRWIN: Republican legislators have veto-proof majorities in 20 state Houses. Democrats have nine. The imbalance is especially pronounced in four states, where the legislature and governor's mansion are controlled by different parties, like in North Carolina, where a Republican supermajority overrode their governor to pass an abortion ban, and Vermont, where Democrats passed a pesticide ban over the governor's veto. Here's Miller again.
MILLER: A supermajority in the legislature can really stop a more moderate agenda and really provide some leverage to that more ideological extremity.
IRWIN: This election cycle, Democrats say they have the momentum to bust the supermajority, and the national Democratic Party has made it a priority. Meanwhile, Republicans, like House Majority Leader Chris Croft, say they want to grow their ranks because they still sometimes fall short of overriding Governor Kelly.
CHRIS CROFT: We wanted the property tax relief as we're going through, and she just kept vetoing it, and we could not get enough of the override to do it.
IRWIN: Croft told NPR he hopes to add seats to the GOP majority so further tax cuts will be veto-proof. Democrats say that would benefit wealthy Kansans at the expense of public schools and services. But Republican supermajority powers have stood out the most on abortion rights, which 59% of Kansans voted to protect in a referendum in 2022. It's still a big campaign issue that Republicans like Croft say is overplayed.
CROFT: As far as that abortion issue goes, the people of Kansas have spoken. I'm not sure why we keep bringing that up.
IRWIN: It keeps coming up, Democrats say, because Republicans keep introducing bills that focus on it, like a law that makes health care providers ask patients questions about why they're getting an abortion. The bill passed despite a veto by the governor, though it's held up in court. Still, Democratic leaders are concerned about what the supermajority could try next.
WILL LAWRENCE: They continue to try to chip away at privacy, as ways to try to deter women from making the decisions that are important to them.
IRWIN: That's Will Lawrence, the chief of staff for Governor Kelly. He leads a political action committee that's raised over a million dollars to help unseat Republicans and strengthen Kelly's veto power. Democratic lawmakers like Dinah Sykes know they won't win a majority in the legislature.
DINAH SYKES: I can count, and so when you have 11 seats out of 40, you are not necessary to pass legislation.
IRWIN: Democrats just want some leverage. They say, if voters give their governor a stronger veto, it'll bring some political symmetry to the state House. For NPR News, I'm Zane Irwin in Topeka. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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