Voters in this conservative state rejected an amendment that would have removed language guaranteeing the right to abortion in the state Constitution and could have paved the way for stricter regulation or a ban.
This election was seen as a political test at the national level, many conservative states having already banned or intending to quickly ban any right to abortion.
As soon as the result was announced, abortion rights advocates celebrated their side's victory in the highly controversial debate taking place in the United States.
This is a "remarkable" result, said Ashley All, spokesperson for the abortion rights campaign. "The people of Kansas understood that this amendment would impose government control over private medical decisions," she said.
“Kansans stood up for basic rights today,” Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly tweeted.
Moments after polls closed at 7:00 p.m. (0000 GMT), Kansas election overseer Scott Schwab said turnout was at least 50%, a figure in line with expectations for this type of poll. .
At noon, nearly 250 voters had passed through the Olathe polling station, in the suburbs of Kansas City, the same number at this time as during a presidential election, according to electoral agent Marsha Barrett.
"This election is crazy," she told AFP. "People are determined to vote."
At 19, Morgan Spoor voted for the first time and assured that he wanted to promote "the right to choose".
"I really want to have my voice heard, especially as a woman. I don't think anyone can say what a woman can do with her body," she said.
Prairie Village resident Chris Ehly also spoke out against changing the Constitution to "respect" his wife and daughter, "categorical on the issue," he told AFP.
On the contrary, Sylvia Brantley, 60, said "yes" to the change because she thinks "babies matter too". She said she wants more regulations, so Kansas isn't a place "where babies are killed."
- Complicated political reality -
While abortion advocates have won a clear victory in Kansas, they are watching with anxiety neighboring states Missouri and Oklahoma, which have imposed near-total bans. Missouri does not allow exceptions for rape or incest.
Other states, including California and Kentucky, are due to vote on the issue in November, coinciding with midterm congressional elections in which Republicans and Democrats hope to rally their supporters around abortion.
The result in Kansas means that abortion will remain legal until 22 weeks of pregnancy. Parental authorization is required for minors.
The vote, which coincided with the Kansas primaries, represented the first opportunity for American voters to express their views on abortion since the Supreme Court overturned its landmark 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade.
Democrats strongly support abortion rights, while conservatives generally support at least some restrictions.
But in Kansas, the political reality is more complicated.
The state leans heavily Republican and has not voted for a Democrat in the White House since 1964.
But Kansas' most populous county elected a Democrat, Sharice Davids, to the House of Representatives in 2018, and state Governor Laura Kelly is a Democrat.
According to a 2021 poll, less than 20% of Kansas respondents agreed that abortion should be illegal even in cases of rape or incest.
