Judicial Races on the Ballot (Charlotte: appointed, 2014, attorneys)

[paulosfm]

Forty percent of those vote in general elections do not bother to vote in the judicial races. They don’t vote because they know nothing about candidates. Those judges who get elected depend on friends and partisan campaigns and yard sign recognition to help get them elected even though the judicial races are “non-partisan”, which is hogwash.

My wife and I have volunteered in CharMeck Court Watch for three years and see the good, bad, and ugly when it comes to observing the courts. Our interest is tracking the most dangerous and repeat offenders who prey on innocent people in our specific area of Charlotte.

CharMeck Court Watch volunteers met and interviewed all the candidates running for contested District and Superior Court judgeships. Afterwards, the organization endorsed the candidates who we believe to be most qualified and the candidate who will uphold our laws as written and not legislate from the bench. We want criminal offenders to be held accountable when found guilty.

The endorsements can be found at http://www.charmeckcourtwatch.org/Home/t... or on the CharMeck Court Watch Face Book page https://www.facebook.com/CharMeckCW and “like” the page if you find something useful.

I really encourage everyone to vote on the judges at the end of the ballot - and vote wisely based on research and knowledge of a candidate and not because of a party label. Unless one becomes a victim of a crime, it can be hard to grasp the importance of the judicial races.

In the interest of full disclosure, my wife and I have been Unaffiliated voters for over 20 years and have voted for Republicans AND Democrats (sometimes holding our noses, as it were, when it comes to either party).

[Bulok]

I heard this talked about on the radio the other day regarding people either skipping voting for judges entirely or just doing a random vote. Very sad considering how this affects most communities..

Thanks for the links

[SunnyKayak]

Good post. I researched the judges for the last ten years before it was done by who had coolest name. One position I dont understand that this position isnt appointed is clerk of court are they not basically a judges secretary.

For those who havent voted yet and are looking for judges and candidates that stand on the side of equality click here.
Equality NC: 2014 EQUALITY NC ACTION FUND VOTER GUIDE

For those who are newly registered and want to early vote here is a link to find your polling place.
NC One-Stop Site Search

[Charlotteborn]

Thanks so much for the link!
My neighbor is a volunteer with the CharMeck Court Watch - what a GREAT group!

[Barkingowl]

Thanks for the link!

[paulosfm]

Originally Posted by SunnyKayak

Good post. I researched the judges for the last ten years before it was done by who had coolest name. One position I dont understand that this position isnt appointed is clerk of court are they not basically a judges secretary.

For those who havent voted yet and are looking for judges and candidates that stand on the side of equality click here.
Equality NC: 2014 EQUALITY NC ACTION FUND VOTER GUIDE

For those who are newly registered and want to early vote here is a link to find your polling place.
NC One-Stop Site Search

Re: Clerk of Court - Good comment. It's not a job I would want and it's probably one of the toughest in the court system. She or he does not answer to anyone except the voters. It's another one of those "what the heck does that person do?" questions. The Clerk and her dozens of employees handle all the paperwork and are responsible for the security of any and all court documents. At one time, 20 years ago, the records keeping was slack, to say the least. Attorneys and others could simply walk into the stacks and pull records and case files. And, as one would expect, case files and evidence disappeared. Judges, the D.A., and attorneys are very dependent on an efficient Clerk of Court system. This does not count the general public. In the end, it's somewhat of a popularity contest with the attorneys taking the lead as to who would be best in the job. For many years a Democrat ran the office before he retired. Attorneys of both parties got behind a Republican, Martha Curran (sp), who has run a relatively efficient office over the past 20(?) years, or so.