CIRCULAR REFERENCE ICT

Kansas Elections for Supreme Court Justices Amendment - August 4, 2026

Yep, they are trying this again...

When I started this blog I didn't have the intention of covering politics. It's not a subject that I think I have a particular expertise in, but as it turns out, the conservative majority in the Kansas legislature is bringing a hugely consequential constitutional amendment up for a voter referendum on primary election day, August 4.

As some of you may know, these primary elections have very little turnout, and I believe that is the main motivation for bringing this piece of legislation to voters in this way.

I encourage everyone to read more about this, but here's the short of it. In Kansas, our supreme court is appointed by the governor based upon a list of candidates referred to them by a nominating commission. This commission is made up of four lawyers and four non-lawers, one each from the four congressional districts in Kansas. There is a ninth member who chairs the commission. It's been done this way since 1958 (Ballotpedia).

What a "yes" vote on the amendment would do would replace this nominating system with direct elections of supreme court justices.

Now, the amendment and the language on the ballot doesn't describe this specifically, but logically these elections would end up being partisan. Kansans would start seeing ads for candidates everywhere. We can expect tons of outside money pouring into these types of elections.

What policies would be at stake? For starters, education. Our state has a minimum funding formula for public education. For years this formula has been an issue for Republicans seeking to bring "school choice" to our state. Our supreme court has been the last line of defense for education cuts (Gannon v State).

Additionally, it is the explicit intent of anti-abortion rights advocates to replace the Kansas supreme court with more conservative judges (The Wichita Eagle) who are likely to overturn the Hodes decision, which found that the right to an abortion is present in the state's constitution.

So that's the situation, but why am I blogging about this on my mostly music and culture blog?

Because so few in the scene are talking about it. To defeat this amendment, we need to be bringing this up at every single DIY show and event. Start talking to your bandmates. Bands are the leaders and the voices of this scene. Start talking to your parents, your roommates, your friends, the people standing around at shows. We need to make sure people are registered to vote in the primary by July 14. We need to get people early voting by the next day or at least by July 28 (depending on your county). We need to make sure everyone has voted by Tuesday, August 4, 7PM. Keep these important dates on your calendars!

For more information or how to get involved, check out Kansas United for Impartial Courts.