Soon, Kansans will vote on whether or not to change to partisan elections for the state supreme court. The vote has become nearly synonymous with one’s stance on abortion rights– Vote No means pro-choice, Vote Yes means anti-abortion. Is this the right way to choose justices, asked Russell Fox in his recent column?
Middlewood: Changing state supreme court selection would profoundly alter education funding
Kansans will soon decide whether or not to switch from merit selection to partisan elections to choose state supreme court justices. This will profoundly alter the political climate regarding school funding, wrote Alex Middlewood in last week’s column.*
*Unfortunately, no paywall-free copy of the column could be located. This link takes you to a preview.
Fiander: How we pay for fatherhood
In his Father’s Day column, Bill Fiander reviewed the costs–and benefits–of fathers who are involved in their children’s lives.
Smith: Data center backlash unites left and right
Fox: Alternative Christian views on political engagement
Not all Christians engage in politics to further conservative, culture-war goals like criminalizing abortion and fighting LGBTQ+ rights. Faith-based groups all over Kansas are organizing to build a sense of community and tackle challenges like homelessness, mental health, gun violence, and inequalities in the criminal justice system, wrote Russell Fox in last week’s column.
Middlewood: Kansas courts should remain above politics
Soon, Kansas voters will decide whether or not to make Kansas Supreme Court justices elected, rather than appointed and retained. Kansas courts should stay above politics, argued Alex Middlewood in last week’s column.
Joslyn: Is the majority party in a myopic fog?
Parties in power can develop a myopic fog, trying to rewrite longstanding institutional rules in response to short term issues. This is what is happening with the Kansas Legislature’s attempt to change voting laws, wrote Mark Joslyn in last week’s column.
Smith: Will Democrats seize the day?
From Bill Clinton to Barack Obama to Laura Kelly, Democrats have often won by offering hope. Can they overcome their internecine squabbling to do so again this year, asked Michael Smith in last week’s column?
Fiander: Illusion of Choice–When Politics Works Like Magic
Unlike magic, politics should not consist of tricks and illusions. But sometimes it does, for example with the upcoming vote on judicial selection. Kansas voters should beware, wrote Bill Fiander in last week’s column.
Fox: Why so many uncontested seats?
Democrats are lining up to run for certain offices in Kansas this year. So, why so many uncontested legislative seats? Russell Fox posed this question in last week’s column.
Insight Kansas 
