When Kansans head to the polls on Aug. 4, they’ll be asked to decide whether to change how Kansas Supreme Court justices are chosen. But this vote is about far more than judicial elections. It will have lasting consequences for public education in Kansas. As a political science professor, ...

Walking around my Wichita neighborhood over the past several days, I noticed something about the yard signs encouraging people to “Vote No” on the constitutional amendment to allow for the popular election of Kansas Supreme Court justices in one month’s time. They are, in their color, ...

As the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaches, celebrations will begin nationwide. Yet they arrive at a moment when warnings about the fate of our democracy grow louder and more urgent. Each party accuses the other of plotting tyranny, rigging elections, and ...

As we celebrate Father’s Day, we still face sobering evidence about how a lack of male role models can derail a child’s outcome. This is particularly acute for young males, aka “future fathers.” The data is grim. Children in father-absent homes have greater risk for poverty, behavioral ...

Two months ago, I wrote a column on how Kansas Christians (which over two-thirds of the population identify as) have changed how they make use of their influence as citizens. At one time, many Christians aimed to lift up Kansas society to the moral level they held to be scripturally mandated; ...

On the August primary ballot, Kansans are being asked to decide whether to fundamentally change how we choose justices for our state Supreme Court. The proposed shift from merit selection to popular elections may sound like an expansion of democratic participation. But beneath that appealing ...