Many Kansas legislators want to make sure that counties don't change the longstanding tradition of electing sheriffs by enshrining the policy in the state constitution.
The House gave first-round approval Tuesday to a proposal to add language to the Kansas Constitution's short article on county government to ensure that sheriffs are elected to four-year terms. A final vote was expected Wednesday.
Only Riley County out of the state's 105 counties doesn't elect a sheriff. However, a commission in the state's most populous county of Johnson County reviewed a proposal to make the sheriff there appointed before deciding against any major changes in county government.
