It’s time for another round of “what is the extremist KS Legislature doing to consolidate power now?” 

If you guessed “trying to confuse Kansas voters with two new constitutional amendments on the November ballot” then you’re a winner! (Except that no one is really a winner when it comes to the KS Legislature lately).

Let’s try to break down what’s happening this time before you head to the polls.

On Nov 8 voters are being asked to vote on two new proposed constitutional amendments:

• Amendment 1 would increase the power of the Kansas Legislature by allowing them to overturn any administrative agency decision with just a simple majority vote; and
• Amendment 2 would mandate the election of county sheriffs and would take away local jurisdictions’ ability to recall the county sheriff from office, transferring that power to the state Attorney General.

The first proposed amendment seems pretty straightforward. The state legislature is asking voters to break down the constitutional balance of powers and give final authority to politicians to set rules and regulations for state agencies. It denies the executive branch any authority to govern and dismisses countless years of professional experience and expertise by agency staff. Further, it circumvents its own accountability to voters by ignoring an established process of passing thoughtful legislation to address any of these regulations. Apparently their own constitutional ability to make laws through a majority vote is too cumbersome for our current state legislators. It’s always easier to tear things down than to work together to pass good laws, and that’s what this amendment would do if passed.

The second proposed amendment is a little trickier, which more easily allows official county offices - such as the Johnson County Sheriff's office - to spread disinformation such as with their Oct 26 Facebook post.

As evidenced by their quick edit to remove the information about a NO vote, this is clearly an inaccurate, politically motivated depiction of what Kansans are voting on. 104 of the 105 Kansas counties currently elect sheriffs (Riley County being the one exception), and a NO vote does not mandate a change in that process. Instead, it maintains local government control over how a county sheriff is selected, as well as how that official is removed from office. Currently, a county sheriff can be involuntarily removed by one of two means: a recall election or a local District Attorney. A YES vote chips away at this local government autonomy by shifting power away from the District Attorney and instead grants that to the state Attorney General.

Kansans are being asked to vote on A LOT this year, including state Supreme Court Justices and judges to state and national offices. Please make sure to educate yourself before you head to the polls. Here are some of Mainstream’s Election Resources:

• November 8 Amendments Explainer - Get the facts
• KSBallot - View your ballot and make a plan to vote
• MainPAC ratings - Find out how your candidates rated
• 2022 Legislative Voting Scorecard - See how your KS Rep incumbent voted this year
• JCBA 2022 Judicial Evaluations - Need more info about judges up for retention? See how the Johnson County Bar Association evaluated them.

YOU’RE INVITED:

Join Mainstream and our partners for a nonpartisan, educational opportunity to learn more about the two proposed constitutional amendments on the Nov 8 ballot.

Register for KU on Oct 27.

Register for WSU on Nov 3.

Both options are available for online streaming.

Hosted by: Shockers Vote!, Loud Light, Kansas Interfaith Action, Mainstream Coalition, League of Women Voters of Johnson County, League of Women Voters of Lawrence-Douglas County, and League of Women Voters of Wichita-Metro.