Voters Reject Supreme Court Election Amendment

Masterson, Holscher Win Governor Primaries

Hamilton, Marshall Advance to Senate Race

KCK Schools Deny Violating Records Law

Audit Tallies $1.1 Billion as Abatements Continue

Voters Reject Supreme Court Election Amendment

TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas voters rejected a constitutional amendment Tuesday, Aug. 4, that would have replaced the state's merit-based selection of Supreme Court justices with direct elections, with about 62% voting no among 593,695 ballots counted in unofficial late-evening returns. The Republican-controlled Legislature placed the measure on the primary ballot, proposing to abolish the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission and put the seven justices before voters in staggered contested elections. Under the system voters adopted in 1958, the commission screens applicants and sends finalists to the governor for appointment, after which justices face periodic yes-or-no retention votes. Supporters said elections would make justices accountable to voters, while opponents, including many judges and lawyers, warned that campaigns would bring money and partisan politics into courtrooms; spending on the ballot fight exceeded $12 million. The result echoes voters' rejection of an abortion-related amendment in the August 2022 primary and leaves the court's selection process and makeup unchanged as cases involving abortion, school funding and election law continue. Because the Kansas Constitution can be amended only by voters, the result also preserves the system at the center of debate during the past two legislative sessions.

Kansas Reflector · WIBW · KCTV5 · Ballotpedia

Masterson, Holscher Win Governor Primaries

TOPEKA, Kan. — Senate President Ty Masterson of Andover and state Sen. Cindy Holscher of Overland Park won their parties' nominations for Kansas governor Tuesday, Aug. 4, setting up the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. Masterson took about 42% in the seven-candidate Republican field, followed by businessman Philip Sarnecki at about 22%, Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt at about 14% and Secretary of State Scott Schwab at about 11%. Holscher defeated fellow Johnson County state Sen. Ethan Corson 48% to 39% in the Democratic primary, while Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog received 13%. Masterson, endorsed by President Donald Trump, has led the Senate since 2021, while Holscher entered the Legislature in 2016 after flipping a Republican-held House seat and moved to the Senate in 2021. Unofficial Johnson County figures showed 17.69% overall turnout, including 28.66% among Democrats and 17.61% among Republicans, as the first open governor's race since 2018 moves toward a November decision that will determine whether Democrats retain the office for a third term or Republicans gain unified state government.

Kansas Reflector · WIBW · KCTV5 · Johnson County Election Office

Hamilton, Marshall Advance to Senate Race

TOPEKA, Kan. — Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, Aug. 4, with about 45% in early unofficial returns from an 11-candidate field. Hamilton, who leads what was described as the nation's largest United Methodist congregation, entered the race in April and reported raising $3.66 million in his first two months, a record launch for a Kansas Senate candidate. Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, endorsed by President Donald Trump and seeking a second six-year term, easily defeated a primary challenge from Pond Naramore. No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in Kansas since 1932, and Hamilton's well-funded outsider campaign, centered on faith and unity, will test that history as the parties compete for national Senate control. All four Kansas U.S. House incumbents also advanced, with Democrat Sharice Davids defeating Sarah Preu in Davids' first primary challenge and Republicans Tracey Mann, Derek Schmidt and Ron Estes winning their nominations.

KCTV5 · WIBW · Johnson County Post · NBC News

KCK Schools Deny Violating Records Law

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools met a Tuesday, Aug. 4, U.S. Department of Justice deadline with a five-page letter denying that the district adopted a transgender-student guideline that federal officials say violates parents' rights. The department's July 21 letter gave the district 14 days to stop enforcing 2017 guidance that officials said restricts parents' access to records involving a student's gender identity, preferred name and pronouns under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, warning that noncompliance could bring a lawsuit and jeopardize nearly $70 million in federal funding. The district said the document was presented at a Sept. 18, 2017, board meeting but never became policy and remains online only because public records must be retained. It also promised a written directive telling staff that no district policy blocks parents' FERPA rights and asked the Justice Department for the full video recording it cited, saying district officials had not seen it. The dispute follows an April U.S. Department of Education finding that Kansas City, Kansas, Olathe, Shawnee Mission and Topeka schools had policies shielding students' gender transitions from parents. The Justice Department's response will determine whether the district's assurances resolve the dispute or leave it facing litigation or a funding loss that would carry significant consequences for one of Kansas' poorest large school districts.

KSHB 41 · KCTV5

Audit Tallies $1.1 Billion as Abatements Continue

TOPEKA, Kan. — A July 8 Legislative Post Audit finding estimated roughly $1.1 billion in forgone Kansas property taxes from industrial revenue bond exemptions between 2010 and 2024, including about 40% that otherwise would have gone to school districts. A Citizen Journal review of its exclusive database of more than 1,000 public meetings identified seven 2026 meetings across five public bodies where local officials continued to approve or consider abatements, with no identified outside coverage connecting those votes to the statewide audit. Finney County granted or advanced 60%, 10-year abatements for a $27 million dairy expansion in January, the Garden City Co-op's $35 million expansion on April 15 and Empirical Foods' $400 million project Monday, along with a 20% abatement for American Implement. McPherson County approved an abatement for Viega's $57 million expansion over resident concerns, while Seward County wind-farm opponents cited a 10-year abatement in opposing the proposed Thresher project. In July, Topeka USD 501 board members cited the audit's estimate of schools' share of forgone revenue and directed staff to develop ways for the district to participate in city abatement decisions. Each 10-year exemption affects the property-tax base supporting schools, jails and roads into the late 2030s.

Citizen Journal Meeting Database · Public Meeting Videos · Kansas Reflector · KMAN

Sources

1. Kansas Reflector / WIBW / KCTV5 / Ballotpedia
2. Kansas Reflector / WIBW / KCTV5: Masterson / KCTV5: Holscher / Johnson County Election Office
3. KCTV5: Hamilton / KCTV5: Marshall / WIBW / Johnson County Post / NBC News
4. KSHB 41: District response / KSHB 41: Federal deadline / KCTV5
5. Citizen Journal Meeting Database / Meeting video 1 / Meeting video 2 / Meeting video 3 / Meeting video 4 / Meeting video 5 / Kansas Reflector / KMAN

This article was written using our proprietary AI system, Cronkite. The final decision to publish this article was made by a human. For more info, read our AI policy.

Found a mistake? Have a news tip or feedback to share? Contact our newsroom using the button below:

citizen journal offers three flagship products: a daily national news summary, a daily Kansas news summary, and local news and school board summaries from 20 cities across Kansas. Each issue contains 5 paragraph-length stories that are made to be read in 5 minutes. Use the links in the header to navigate to national, kansas, and local coverage. Subscribe to each, some, or all to get an email when new issues are published for FREE!

Brought to you by (click me!)