Election Day is less than a week away.  Whether you are about sit down at the dinner table with your ballot, or are planning to vote in person on November 8, make sure to finish your ballot.  Don't waste your opportunity to weigh in and vote on Arizona's judicial retention election questions.

What is judicial election retention?  

Trial court judges in Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal Counties, along with Judges on the Court of Appeals and Arizona Supreme Court are appointed through a Constitutional Merit Selection Process.  Applicants are first interviewed by a judicial selection commission comprised of lawyers and non-lawyers. Qualified candidates - of all political persuasions - are sent on to the Governor for the final interview and selection.  

Once appointed, these judges are subject to retention elections every few years.  A majority "no" vote means that the judge is out.  

A panel of lawyers and non-lawyers - called the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review - evaluates every judge up for retention.  The commissioners analyze feedback from litigants, parties, and witness who appear in front of the judges, and they have sit down meetings with each judge.  Based on that information, the Commission puts out a report as to whether each judge "Meets" or "Does Not Meet" the standards for being a judge in Arizona.  You can read the summary report here and use it as a guide for your ballot.