Why didn’t state legislators give Kansas voters the opportunity to vote on a constitutional ban on gay marriage?

Various news reports, surveys and polls indicate a majority of Kansans are opposed to gay marriage and would vote in favor of a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage in Kansas.

If this is true, why did Kansas legislators deny the public the opportunity to vote on the amendment which, if passed, would strengthen the law against gay marriages? The vote would have been relatively simple and straightforward: Does the voter favor a constitutional amendment to protect the law against gay marriage in Kansas?” Yes or no?

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on one’s beliefs, Kansas voters will not have the opportunity to express themselves on this matter. It appears the only way Kansas residents of voting age would be able to express their ideas on the subject is to see whether they could start a petition drive to force the question to be put on the ballot. The only other option is for voters to express their disapproval of legislators who voted against the amendment by opposing these legislators if they seek re-election to the Kansas House or Senate.

It should be pointed out, Kansas law already defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman. However, some supporters favor a constitutional amendment because they worry that future legal challenges could result in this law being overturned, particularly with what they consider to be a growing number of liberal or “politically correct” judges who interpret and update the law to meet current social conditions rather than follow the law as written.

It’s likely there will be an increasing number of controversial issues coming before city and or state bodies. This raises the question of whether the public should be able to vote on these questions or whether city commissioners and state legislators should bypass the public’s thoughts and decide among themselves what is best for the state and its residents.