Count me among those who think Nov. 2nd’s instant runoff voting system for the Court of Appeals race to replace Judge Jim Wynn is nearly guaranteed to create problems. I’ll bet nine out of 10 voters will be clueless when they decide which of the 13 candidates is their #1, #2, and #3 choice.
I only wish more people were concerned about judicial races being “nonpartisan.” Sorry, but there is a difference between Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Libertarians, etc. Knowing a person’s political affiliation gives the voter a general indication of that person’s world view and their view of government’s role in society and power over the individual. Many times, judges have discretion and that’s where their views become very important.
For those who say the party affiliation is irrelevant, I ask these questions: If it’s so irrelevant, then why was it removed from the ballot? And why, then, wouldn’t we remove party affiliation from all candidates for all races?
In the meantime, you can find out which major party the Nov. 2nd judicial candidates are affiliated with by visiting the party web sites. They obviously think voters care.
You’ll find the Democrats listed here.
You’ll find the Republicans listed here.