Judicial elections are low profile, but they can have a wide impact
Our courts tend to be afterthoughts in our politics and elections, barely considered compared to the higher-profile elected legislators.
Many voters in Oregon pick up their ballots and voter guides at election time, marching through their votes for offices like president, governor, senator and representative, but pause when they hit judges and justices up for election.
Many are unopposed: Should they simply check the box? If they’re opposed: Who to vote for? The campaigns are usually low-key and often the candidates say little that would help voters choose between their options.
But those options do matter, nationally and notably in Oregon, and the evidence is all over the headlines.
The most significant election of the year nationally may have been last month’s state Supreme Court contest in Wisconsin, unusual in the attention it has gotten, the money spent on it and the political impact it may have. But its political contours – a technically nonpartisan race between candidates openly supported by Democratic against Republican interests – are clear.
https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2023/05/01/judicial-elections-are-low-profile-but-they-can-have-a-wide-impact/