Kansas voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have changed how state Supreme Court justices are selected, with overwhelming opposition in the state’s population centers outweighing much narrower margins in much of rural Kansas.
Kansas’ Amendment 1 would have established a new procedure for electing state Supreme Court justices to a term, abolishing the current system where they are appointed and face regular retention elections.
The amendment failed with 61.4% of voters statewide opposed. Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Douglas and Wyandotte counties all rejected the proposal by comfortable margins, while many smaller rural counties were divided much more closely, often by single-digit margins.
Kansas City-area counties led opposition
The counties surrounding Kansas City all voted against the measure, with 69%, or 117,481 votes, of Johnson County voters rejecting the measure, compared to 52,695 votes in favor of the measure, or 31% of the ballots…