Laws may be passed to provide that in any county
having less than forty thousand population, as determined
by the next preceding federal census, the board
of county commissioners of such county, by a unanimous
vote or ten percent of the number of electors of
such county voting for governor at the next preceding
election, by petition, may submit to the electors of such
county the question of providing that in such county
the same person shall serve as judge of the court of
common pleas, judge of the probate court, judge of
the juvenile court, judge of the municipal court, and
judge of the county court, or of two or more of such
courts. If a majority of the electors of such county vote
in favor of such proposition, one person shall thereafter
be elected to serve in such capacities, but this shall
not affect the right of any judge then in office from
continuing in office until the end of the term for which
he was elected.
Elections may be had in the same manner to discontinue
or change the practice of having one person serve
in the capacity of judge of more than one court when
once adopted.