Kansas voters to decide Supreme Court election amendment on Tuesday
Kansas voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would replace the current merit‑based appointment system for state Supreme Court justices with direct elections. Supporters say the change would allow voters to elect at least four conservative, anti‑abortion justices by 2033, while opponents argue it is an effort to overturn recent court rulings on abortion and other issues.
The campaign has drawn major donors such as the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and George Soros, who together have contributed millions to the opposition. Total spending by both sides has exceeded $12 million, with the opposition outspending the pro‑life side roughly three to one ($12,234,034 vs. $3,689,425). Governor Laura Kelly, a Democrat, opposes the measure. The vote follows a 2022 Kansas ballot that rejected a separate amendment to remove abortion‑rights language, with 59 % of voters opposing that proposal.
Entities: ACLU · American Civil Liberties Union · American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) · George Soros · Governor Laura Kelly · Kansas · Kansas Supreme Court · Planned Parenthood
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A 2022 Kansas ballot initiative to remove abortion‑rights language from the state constitution was rejected by 59 % of voters. (2d368bbf-97d9-427e-82ac-9f32affa6ed3)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Kansas ballot measure would replace the merit‑based appointment system for Supreme Court justices with direct elections. (22cc7641-8f99-4010-8985-ab7deb8cad03)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Kansas vote on the Supreme Court election measure is scheduled for Tuesday. (22cc7641-8f99-4010-8985-ab7deb8cad03)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Republicans say the measure will let voters choose conservative, anti‑abortion justices. (22cc7641-8f99-4010-8985-ab7deb8cad03)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The top donor to the opposition group is the ACLU, contributing $1,000,000. (5e57c5ef-33de-435e-9132-9d4d1a9e6cef)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The ACLU, Planned Parenthood and George Soros are contributing millions to the campaign opposing the Kansas constitutional amendment. (5e57c5ef-33de-435e-9132-9d4d1a9e6cef)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Opposition to the amendment has outspent the pro‑life side 3 to 1, spending $12,234,034 versus $3,689,425. (5d31ee31-6bfb-4971-9f1a-81fb16e53e19)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Total spending by both sides of the Kansas Supreme Court election amendment campaign has exceeded $12 million. (5d31ee31-6bfb-4971-9f1a-81fb16e53e19)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Governor Laura Kelly opposes the Kansas Supreme Court election amendment. (5d31ee31-6bfb-4971-9f1a-81fb16e53e19)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The amendment would allow voters to elect at least four conservative, anti‑abortion justices by 2033. (5d31ee31-6bfb-4971-9f1a-81fb16e53e19)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Kansas currently appoints Supreme Court justices via a merit‑based system using a nine‑member nonpartisan commission. (5d31ee31-6bfb-4971-9f1a-81fb16e53e19)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Kansas voters will decide on a ballot measure to elect state Supreme Court justices directly rather than through appointment. (5d31ee31-6bfb-4971-9f1a-81fb16e53e19)