In South Dakota, no less. Fascinating state analysis here. Money quote:
"As you move west, voters tend to be less evangelical and more libertarian," [Jon Schaff, who teaches at Northern State University in Aberdeen] said.
The election results seem to confirm his theory. Only 17 of the state's 66 counties rejected the same-sex-marriage ban, but 11 of the 21 counties west of the Missouri River voted against it. And two of the East River counties that voted against the ban hug the east bank of the Missouri.
Schaff believes that the abortion ban and the same-sex-marriage ban went too far for libertarian-leaning voters. "They're saying they simply want government to leave them alone." [Bob] Burns [who teaches political science at South Dakota State University in Brookings] agrees. He said an additional sentence in the same-sex-marriage amendment that banned "quasi-marital relationships" may have cost the measure votes.
Schaff also notes that the abortion ban had no exceptions for rape, incest or health of the pregnant woman. If Referred Law 6 had included those exceptions, he said, "It would have passed with 65 percent of the vote, easily."
The Christianists over-reached. Even in South Dakota.