02.01.10 'The Election File' voting guide: Do I really have to vote for judges?
WBEZ Blog
Well no, you don't have to. But Malcolm Rich with the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice says you should.
Rich's group has tried to make the process of selecting qualified judges easier by posting a lot of information on its website, including links to a scorecard of evaluations from bar associations. But these groups don't always agree on which candidate is qualified. Which group should a voter trust? Rich recommends two approaches to this:
For people who like to read: A voter can read written statements about each candidate for judge from the Chicago Bar Association and the Chicago Council of Lawyers. This way, instead of just seeing a scorecard, a voter can read a more detailed explanation of why a candidate was rated the way he or she was rated.
The quicker option: Looking "at a composite." Check out the scorecards, check out the newspaper endorsements. "Look at those various sources, and see at what point you have a candidate where there's a consensus."
Read the full article here.
Visit Vote for Judges.