It’s much easier to convince people to vote against something than for something. Abortion is no exception to this rule, which helps explain why pro-life referenda and candidates throughout the country are losing steam in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

In Kansas, for example, voters declined this month to approve an amendment to the state constitution that would have permitted the legislature to pass restrictions on abortion. This outcome was a bit unexpected since the polling in Kansas (and the rest of the country, for that matter) shows at least half of voters, if not more, support restricting the procedure. So why did they vote against an amendment that would have allowed them to do just that?