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Kansas Voters Reject Costliest Ballot Measure to Elect Justices

8/5/2026

Summary

Kansas Voters Reject

Kansas voters rejected the amendment to elect state Supreme Court justices on August 5, 2026, with 124,020 votes against and 52,230 votes for it.
Governor Laura Kelly said the nomination process stands and that the amendment would have ended the Nominating Commission and forced statewide elections for justices in 2028.
Supporters and opponents each spent millions of dollars, making the vote one of Kansas’s costliest ballot questions this year.

Summary

Kansas Courts Livestream

The merit-selection system for Kansas Supreme Court began with a 1958 amendment after a scandal where the governor, chief justice and lieutenant governor conspired to secure a seat after the governor lost re-election.
The nine-member commission, with five state-bar-elected attorneys and four governor appointees, livestreams interviews for public viewing.
Kansas, with no justice removed in over 70 years, is one of 21 states using a nominating-commission process for its highest court.

Summary

Bennett Backs No

By Friday, about 133,000 early-vote ballots had been cast, including roughly 62,000 Republicans and about 60,000 Democrats.
Dr. Russell Arben Fox said Kansans don’t understand why this status quo must change, noting voter confusion.
District Attorney Marc Bennett, a Republican, endorsed the no vote, saying the judicial-selection issue should not be political.
Strategists say the no side must mobilize Republican primary voters for a no vote and attract unaffiliated voters.

History

Historical Context

Missouri voters approved the merit-selection Missouri Plan in November 1940 to curb the Pendergast machine’s partisan judicial races, a reform championed by Governor Forrest C. Donnell and the Missouri Bar. Kansas copied the model in 1958 after a scandal, and the 2026 ballot question revives that legacy, echoing a system that has saved about $1.2 million in campaign costs and now guides judges in 34 states.

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Kansas Voters Reject

Kansas voters rejected the amendment to elect state Supreme Court justices on August 5, 2026, with 124,020 votes against and 52,230 votes for it.
Governor Laura Kelly said the nomination process stands and that the amendment would have ended the Nominating Commission and forced statewide elections for justices in 2028.
Supporters and opponents each spent millions of dollars, making the vote one of Kansas’s costliest ballot questions this year.

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