Voters in Missouri and Kansas are deciding some critical races and ballot measures today: constitutional amendments on abortion access, a tight U.S. Senate contest, a governor's race and more. But lower on the ballot is something just as important: judge retention elections. We'll break down how the judicial retention process works in both states and what voters should know before heading to the polls.
Unlike other elected officials, many judges in Missouri and Kansas are appointed through nonpartisan selection processes and later face voters in retention elections. Recent efforts to change how judges are selected have sparked debates over the role of politics in the courts. On Up To Date, KCUR's Steve Kraske spoke with reporters Savannah Hawley-Bates and Grace Hills about judge retention for both Missouri and Kansas.
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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Adelyn Mui and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox and Gabe Rosenberg.
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