Dark money and misleading claims. Ballot debacle. Prediction markets.

By Sherman Smith | editor-in-chief

TOPEKA — Partisan donors have spent at least $12.8 million in Kansas on dozens of television ads and stacks of mailers, advocating for or against a ballot referendum that could determine the political temperature of the state Supreme Court for generations.

From county political parties to dark money mega-donors, Kansas’ “vote yes” and “vote no” campaigns are benefiting from millions in outside spending from high-profile financiers, seeking to influence Tuesday’s vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that asks Kansans if they want state Supreme Court justices to be selected by popular vote.

“Vote yes” ads have warned of “leftist elites” maintaining an unfair status quo on the bench. “Vote no” ads warn of “corrupt billionaires” seeking to control the court’s interests. Out-of-state backers have funded campaigns on both sides, according to state campaign finance records, up to July 20, the last campaign finance reporting date until October.

By Connie Brown Collins

Wyandotte County is reeling from another election fiasco as it enters the 2026 primary.

The Wyandotte County Election Office has erred by sending out advance mail ballots with the incorrect post office box return address. This negligence is likely to result in the disenfranchisement of more than 1,000 voters who used the mail-in ballot system to ensure their votes were counted.

This “slip-up” appears noticeably consistent with the Trump administration’s attempts to disrupt mail-in ballots before the midterm elections.

TOPEKA — Where traditional polling has been quiet, online prediction markets ahead of Kansas’ primary election show who is favored to win key races, offering a glimpse into voter behavior hours before polls close.

Polymarket and Kalshi — the two largest platforms where bettors can weigh the likelihood of candidates’ success — show people have wagered almost $800,000 on Kansas primary races.

TOPEKA — An organization seeking to convince Kansans to support a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution took liberties when crafting two-sided cards mailed to potential voters.

Today’s children could be the first generation since the 1970s to do better than their parents as young workers become more sought after and well paid. They may even see a surplus of housing to make their lives even easier after recent shortages.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate voted Monday to advance a bipartisan measure to keep the federal government funded through Dec. 11 and pause the Trump administration’s effort to add controversial new criteria for federal grants.

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