For one thing, it’s fair to say that the question of what the amendment actually would’ve done was somewhat murky for many observers and voters. As I noted in a piece on the ballot initiative last week, opponents of the amendment united in lockstep around the falsehood that a “yes” vote was essentially a vote to ban abortion in Kansas. For instance, a coalition led by Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and others in opposition to the amendment branded itself “Kansans for Constitutional Freedom.” In reality, the amendment would’ve taken Kansas back to abortion neutrality, allowing lawmakers to legislate on the issue — though it’s likely that the legislature’s slant would’ve quickly resulted in a much more pro-life status quo than is currently permitted.

In other words, supporters of abortion effectively won the messaging battle. While many Kansans likely opposed the state supreme court ruling finding a right to abortion in the constitution and would prefer more pro-life laws than are currently permitted, they also didn’t like the idea of a total abortion ban, which is how the other side managed to cast the amendment. Given the amendment’s language and the relative murkiness of what it actually would’ve done policy-wise, the outcome doesn’t easily translate into the assumption that Americans across the country are poised to accept what the Democratic Party prefers when it comes to abortion policy.