Retention election method criticised for removing public from selection of Tennessee judges

Court upholds retention elections for judges | Democracy, elections, and voting at Democracy Chronicles

From Wikipedia:

A judicial retention election (or retention referendum) is a periodic process in some jurisdictions where judges are elected whereby a judge is subject to a referendum held at the same time as a general election. A judge is removed from office if a majority of votes are cast against retention.

A judicial retention vote differs from a regular election in that voters are not asked to choose from a list of candidates — the judges on the ballot do not have opponents. Rather, the voter chooses between electing the incumbent judge to a further term in office (i.e. voting in favor of “retention”) or voting against. In addition, the judge’s party affiliation is not listed on the ballot. A judge is deemed to have been retained if ballots cast in favor of retention outnumber those against.