Voter‑rights organizer urges community to learn about proposed amendment to elect Kansas Supreme Court justices
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Summary
Connie Brown Collins of the Voter Rights Network of Wyandotte County urged residents to learn about and attend a panel on a proposed constitutional amendment that would shift Kansas Supreme Court seats from appointment to election, warning of risks from campaign money and outside influence.
Connie Brown Collins, executive director of the Voter Rights Network of Wyandotte County, used the meeting’s public‑comment period to ask residents to learn about and attend a panel discussion on April 25 about a proposed constitutional amendment to elect Kansas Supreme Court justices.
Collins summarized the current process — an appointment system in place since 1958 that uses a commission of attorneys and community members to screen applicants and submit three names to the governor — and argued that electing justices could inject campaign pressures and outside funding into the judiciary. “When judges are elected…they have to become politicians,” Collins said, urging residents to attend the April 25 panel titled “Elected versus Appointed, Inform Your Choice.” She pointed to concerns that campaign contributions could come from outside the state and said the proposed amendment is timed for an August ballot with historically low turnout.
Collins encouraged residents to attend the April 25 event at the West Wyandotte Library to learn more and decide how to vote.
What the public asked for: a community education event and broader discussion about the merits and risks of appointment versus election for judges, with flyers and contact information available.
