COLUMBUS – Although you are more likely to see a local judge face-to-face than your Congressman, state representative or city council member, the candidates for Ohio judicial positions are those about which voters probably are the least familiar.
There is a move afoot to change that before voters head to the polls Tuesday, when the ballot includes municipal court races in 52 of Ohio’s 88 counties
Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor is leading Judicial Votes Count initiative with support from the Ohio State Bar Association, the League of Women Voters, the Bliss Institute at the University of Akron, the Ohio Newspaper Association, and the Ohio Association of Broadcasters
The goal of Judicial Votes Count is to increase voter participation in judicial races by providing information about candidates and the offices to which they are seeking election.
According to a 2014 judicial election survey conducted by the Bliss Institute (see above), 30 percent of Ohioans indicated they don’t vote for judges because they are confused about the different kinds of judges and 60 percent say they don’t have enough information to make a good choice when voting for judges.