Every registered voter can vote in the Kansas primary election, even if you are not affiliated with a party or have no contested elections on your party’s ballot. There is a Kansas Constitutional Amendment question on the ballot that could change the way that Kansas Supreme Court judges have been chosen since 1958.
Currently lawyers who at least 30 years old and have practiced law in Kansas for at least 10 years can apply for a vacancy on the Kansas Supreme Court. Their applications are reviewed by a nine-member Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission made up of:
• Four nonlawyers, appointed by the governor, with one member coming from each of Kansas’s four congressional districts.
• Four lawyers, elected by members of the Kansas Bar Association, with one attorney elected from each of the four congressional districts.
• A chairperson elected by the statewide vote of all lawyers in the state.
The commission submits a list of three qualified candidates to the governor, who makes the final appointment for a six-year term. After serving one year, justices face a statewide yes/no retention vote, and then again every six years.
If the amendment passes, the current system would be eliminated. Instead, candidates would run for office in a partisan election for terms of six years.
Kansas is one of 14 states in which a governor appoints justices from a nominating commission’s suggestions. Fourteen states use nonpartisan elections to choose justices, and seven states use partisan elections. Gubernatorial and legislative appointments and hybrid methods are used in other states.
Supporters of the amendment say the current method is undemocratic and say people of the state should have the ability to decide who sits on the Kansas Supreme Court.
Several groups, including as the League of Women Voters of Kansas and the ACLU, oppose the elimination of the current system, arguing that it ensures our justices are unbiased and that it has served our state well for decades.
Here are important dates to keep in mind:
July 14: Deadline to register to vote or update your voter registration.
July 15: First day of advance voting. Advance ballots by mail are transmitted. In-person advance voting may begin (check with your county election office for specific times and locations).
July 28: In-person advance voting begins for all counties.
August 4: Primary election.
The League of Women Voters of Wichita Metro is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging the informed and active participation of citizens in government. For more information, visit https://lwvwichita.org/
