The primary election will take place on Aug. 4. Unlike most primaries, which are runoff elections to narrow the playing field in a few races, this election is one in which all Kansans who are registered to vote can weigh in.

That’s because the Kansas Legislature has added a Constitutional Amendment question to everyone’s ballot.

A “yes” vote supports amending the state constitution to authorize the election of state Supreme Court justices and abolish the existing state Supreme Court nominating commission.

The amendment would also repeal a provision prohibiting justices from directly or indirectly making contributions to, holding any office in a political party or organization, or taking part in political campaigns. This prohibition would still apply to lower court judges holding office under a nonpartisan method, except when such a judge is seeking election to a position on an appellate court.

A “no” vote opposes amending the state constitution to authorize the election of state Supreme Court justices, thereby maintaining the existing state Supreme Court nominating commission.

For a neutral review on this question, we checked with Ballotpedia.org. It explains:

“The amendment would provide the direct election of Kansas Supreme Court justices by voters at staggered elections and abolish the existing Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission. The amendment authorizes the Kansas State Legislature to develop rules regarding the elections. Justices’ terms would remain the same at six years, and vacancies would be filled by election as provided for by law.

“Currently, the seven justices are selected through assisted appointment and must stand for retention at the next even-year general election following their appointment and every six years thereafter. The nominating commission is responsible for providing the names of nominees to the governor, who must then select a justice from that list. The commission is made up of nine members, one lawyer and one non-lawyer from each congressional district, and one additional lawyer who serves as chairperson. The nominating commission was adopted in 1958 with the approval of (another constitutional amendment).”

Ballotpedia also has information on who supports and who opposes this amendment and why. In a nutshell, here are the reasons given:

The argument for (Vote yes if you agree):

“Kansas’s current system isn’t apolitical at all—it’s just politics veiled by a commission, and we should stop pretending. Direct elections make the political dynamic explicit, not hidden in backrooms by bar members who think they’re better than the rest of us. The current system’s promise of impartiality rings hollow when its rulings run afoul of the public and leave them no recourse to fight. Electing judges will sometimes be messy and yes, involve money and all the other things that go along with elections. But, let’s let the people decide if they want the power; if they want to trade an elitist relic for a democratic system where they will hold the reins.” — Ty Masterson (Kansas Senate President)

The argument against (Vote no if you agree):

“This is a blatant attack by the legislators on our justices, and it’s part of a decades-long pattern of politicians attempting to punish the judicial branch for issuing decisions on education and reproductive freedom that they disagree with. ... Partisan elections quickly become fights between out-of-state, big money interests. These elections become less about the voters and constituents of the state and more an opportunity for out-of-state big money interests to wage war against one another. And now, lawmakers would like our state’s highest court to be smack in the middle of that war.” – Micah Kubic (ACLU of Kansas)

So, the election is now less than six weeks away. But remember:

Voter Registration closes at the end of the business day on July 14.

Early voting will be available through the Barton County Clerk’s Office, possibly starting July 15.

Advance voting by mail is available by application through the Barton County Clerk’s Office. Advance ballots begin being mailed out July 15.

I know how I plan to vote on this issue, but I welcome readers to share their thoughts on this page. The only opinion I will share here is that Barton County residents who are eligible to vote should plan on doing so, and if that means first registering to vote, the time is now. There are also some primaries, so don’t wait for the November election.

Susan Thacker is managing editor of the Great Bend Tribune. Contact her at sthacker@gbtribune.com.