No matter where you live in the Kansas City metro area, you will see a long list of judges at the end of your ballot.

Those so-called “retention elections” are a simple yes-or-no question: Should each judge keep their job for another term?

But unless you’re a lawyer spending hours in a courtroom, it’s a tough question to answer.

Here’s a guide to your 2026 judge retention questions in Kansas.

Click on a link to jump to a question:

• What are the differences between the kinds of judges on the ballot?
• What about that vote in August?
• What does a “yes” vote do?
• What does a “no” vote do?
• Why don’t any of the judges have opponents?
• Are the judges Democrats or Republicans?
• How should I know whether to retain the judges?

What are the differences between the kinds of judges on the ballot?

Voters will see retention questions for three or four different categories of judges on your November ballot.

That includes the state Supreme Court justices, Court of Appeals judges and district court judges. Johnson County voters will also see one magistrate judge on the ballot.

The Kansas Supreme Court is made up of seven justices, who are appointed by the governor from a list of nominees selected by the Supreme Court Nominating Commission.

The Court of Appeals is an intermediate court, sandwiched between the local district court and the state Supreme Court. There’s one appeals court for the entire state, and it’s made up of 14 members, who are nominated by the governor and confirmed by the Kansas Senate.

The district courts depend on your county. Some districts, including Wyandotte County, directly elect judges, whereas others, including Johnson County, hold retention elections.

In Wyandotte County, all of the district court judges are running unopposed under the Democratic Party, and are almost guaranteed to win.

In Johnson County, the district court judges are appointed by the governor from a list prepared by a nominating commission. They are running for retention and still need to win a majority “yes” vote.

What about that vote in August?

In August 2026, Kansas voters saw a constitutional amendment on the ballot asking whether to directly elect Supreme Court judges.

Voters rejected it soundly, with 60% voting “no.”

But voters this year are not being asked to elect Supreme Court judges this year — they’re being asked whether to retain them. The difference is that, if Kansas voters say no, the governor will appoint a new judge selected by the nominating commission, rather than voters picking a candidate themselves.

What does a ‘yes’ vote do?

A “yes” vote means that you approve of that judge or justice keeping — or “retaining” — their seat for another term.

State Supreme Court justices serve six-year terms, whereas judges at the Court of Appeals and district court serve four-year terms.

Judges must earn a simple majority at their retention election.

What does a ‘no’ vote do?

If judges or justices fail to win a majority, they will be removed from the court once their term expires in January. 

In their place, the governor of Kansas would need to nominate a replacement, who must be confirmed by the Kansas Senate.

After one year, the new judge would face a retention election in order to serve a full term.

Why don’t any of the judges have opponents?

Kansas and Missouri are both “assisted appointment” states when it comes to their supreme courts, unlike other states like Wisconsin or Texas that have high-profile partisan supreme court elections every few years.

Instead of asking voters to choose between two candidates, the states essentially ask voters to approve the governor’s choice after one year on the court.

It’s a system that originated in Missouri in the 1940s but has since been imitated by 19 other states, including Kansas.

In the early 20th century, there was an ugly Missouri Supreme Court election between two candidates, one of whom was backed by infamous Kansas City political boss Tom Pendergast.

In response to those hyperpartisan political battles, legal scholars created the new system and got it approved by voters.

The idea is that a judge needs to be qualified and knowledgeable about constitutional law because they’re setting judicial precedent. 

So now, whenever there’s a vacancy on the Kansas Supreme Court, the governor is provided with a list of names to choose from. That list is prepared by a nine-member commission made up of lawyers and nonlawyers from each congressional district, plus one additional lawyer.

Then, the governor picks one of the nominees from that list and appoints them to a one-year term.

After that year, voters get to decide whether that Supreme Court justice gets to serve a full six-year term.

Are the judges Democrats or Republicans?

At least officially, they’re nonpartisan.

Typically, judges are private about their political affiliation to maintain their appearance of neutrality. They tend not to make political donations, and many refrain from registering with a party.

The two Supreme Court justices on the ballot this year in Kansas are Chief Justice Eric Rosen and Justice Larkin Walsh.

Rosen was appointed to his position by former Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius in 2005. Walsh was appointed in 2025 by current Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

Both Rosen and Walsh may have been selected Democratic governors, but they were chosen from a list of nominees prepared by a nonpartisan nominating commission.

How should I know whether to retain the judges?

The Kansas Bar Association publishes a performance review for every judge on the statewide ballot.

It’s based on a survey completed by lawyers in Kansas who directly interacted with the judges during their term.

They evaluate each judge based on their professional conduct, qualifications and performance.

If you’re in a rush, all seven judges on this year’s statewide ballot received a retention score of 75% or higher. Both Supreme Court justices received more than 88%.

(They’re rated on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 meaning “very poor” and 100 meaning “very good.” You can read more about the methodology at the bottom of each judge’s survey results.)

If you live in Johnson County, you can find performance evaluations for those judges here.