Kansas voters on Tuesday were saying yes to a statewide ballot proposal aimed at bringing more boats to Kansas.

The constitutional amendment would give the legislature the authority to cut property taxes on watercraft such as sailboats, personal watercraft, canoes and motorboats.

With almost 40 percent of precincts reporting, the measure had 53 percent approval.

Currently, watercraft are taxed at 30 percent of market value, making the tax burden higher than in nearby states.

"Property taxes ... are so high that they impede boat ownership," Robin Jennison, the Kansas secretary of wildlife, parks and tourism, wrote recently.

As a result, many Kansans buy and register their boats in neighboring states -- depressing the industry in Kansas and depriving the state of revenue from property and sales taxes.