WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Seven Court of Appeals judges are on the ballot in Kansas. The options are to retain or to remove that judge from office. The governor appoints appellate judges, and every four years, they are up for a retention vote. "It's a very important part of the process because if you get a judge who is bad or has committed some indiscretion, it gives voters a chance to get rid of that judge and put in somebody new," Tim O'Brien, chair of the Kansas Bar Association bench bar committee said. Voters will see different cities next to each judge, indicating where they are from. Because they are members of the Court of Appeals, they hear cases from all over the state. "These judges control a lot of the law in Kansas," O'Brien said. "They determine whether the facts were sufficient to support a criminal conviction, for example, or they determine whether the statute is constitutional. There are lots of issues that come before the court of appeals, and while there's a Supreme Court there, the Supreme Court doesn't review all of the decisions, so these judges are making determinations that will affect litigants and Kansans in the years to come. It is important for people to become knowledgeable and actually study up on the judges even though it's not the most exciting thing to do." KSN Election Guide: 2024 Candidate Profiles The KBA surveyed all 16,000 registered attorneys in Kansas about the judges up for retention. Find the results and sample opinions here. The Kansas Supreme Court also has details on the judges. Appellate judges can be retained until they turn 70.