Kansans will face a major decision in August 2026: whether to change the way the state's Supreme Court justices are selected. Lawmakers have placed a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would end the current merit-based system — in place since 1958 — and return Kansas to direct elections for its highest court.

This debate has been building for years, with supporters arguing that voters deserve a direct say in who serves on the Supreme Court, while opponents warn that attorneys are best qualified to keep politics out of the courtroom. The outcome of this vote will shape the future of Kansas courts for decades to come.

We created this resource to give you the full picture. Here you'll find:

• A clear explanation of how the current selection process works
• A straightforward summary of what the proposed amendment would change
• A timeline of key moments in Kansas judicial history, including the 1956 "Triple Play" that led to the state's last major reform

Our commitment is to present the facts. We believe Kansans make the best decisions when they have clear, accurate, and unbiased information.

Kansas should scrap its de facto policy of draining the Ogallala Aquifer, a state board decided Wednesday. Instead, the board said, the Kansas government should take steps to stop the decline of the aquifer and save it for future generations. "It has taken decades for this to be said formally in writing by an official state body," said Connie Owen, director of the Kansas Water Office. "… This is nothing less than historic."

Saving the water source that supports Western Kansas' economy and communities may seem like an obvious stance to take, but for about 70 years, the state's policies and management decisions have reflected the idea that eventually, the Ogallala would dry up, said Earl Lewis, Kansas' chief engineer.