NCJ Number
85856
Journal
Social Science Journal Volume: 19 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1982) Pages: 93-102
Date Published
1982
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This article, building on the information/voting decision nexus, explores a number of political and demographic factors in an attempt to uncover clues to voting behavior in judicial retention elections. The implications of these findings for the 'merit retention' system are analyzed.
Abstract
Empirical analyses of voting behavior in judicial elections have been relatively infrequent in the general literature of election studies. The traditional assumption has been that voters basically lack the interest and expertise to make choices about judicial candidates. The increasing use of the merit selection and retention system (Missouri Plan) to upgrade judicial officials by removing the selection process from the political arena poses a policy problem. If public accountability of judges is to be expressed through 'merit retention elections,' this accountability is dependent upon voters' knowledge about the record and qualifications of those judicial officials. However, in a study of Wyoming voters, we found that information or lack of it, was unrelated to the voters' decision to retain or reject a judge standing for merit retention. (Author abstract)