Texas suffers dismally low voter turnout in judicial elections with voters leaving ballots blank

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Texas Civil Justice League Announces Statewide Campaign to Improve Voter Turnout for Judicial Elections

TCJL announced the statewide campaign by releasing the following press release earlier today.

Texas Civil Justice League Announces Statewide Campaign to Improve Voter Turnout for Judicial Elections

Voter Participation Drops Significantly for Judicial Races Compared to Other Higher-Profile Races

The Texas Civil Justice League (TCJL) has announced a statewide advocacy campaign to increase voter participation in judicial races. The organization, which advocates for a fair and balanced judicial system in Texas, is launching a voter education effort aimed at increasing awareness throughout the state about the importance of electing qualified judges.“Many Texans don’t understand how important it is to educate themselves on the qualifications of those who run in judicial races so that they can vote for the most qualified candidates,” John Fainter, chair of the TCJL board of directors, said. “In reality, a judge can have a major, direct influence on a citizen—perhaps more than any other elected official—including making decisions that impact a person’s home, family, job and their very freedom.”

The campaign will initially focus on the upcoming March primaries and will include efforts to educate Texans about the importance of judicial races in addition to providing information about the various candidates who are running in statewide judicial races.

“I applaud the Texas Civil Justice League for their efforts to raise the profile of statewide judicial races,” former Texas Supreme Court Justice Harriet O’Neill said. “Texans are fortunate to be able to elect the best qualified candidates in judicial races, but with that opportunity comes the responsibility of educating themselves about the candidates. This campaign will be a major step toward achieving that goal.”

Voter participation drops significantly for judicial races compared to other higher-profile races. For example, in the 2012 general election, 58.6% of registered Texas voters voted for a presidential candidate, but only 44% voted for a candidate in the judicial race for the Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 8. In other words, a significant number of voters did not vote for judicial candidates even though they were already at the polls. Percentages for other statewide judicial races were similarly low.

For more information about judicial races in Texas, visit www.texasjudges.org, a TCJL website that provides information about the state’s judicial system and candidates running in judicial races.

How You Can Help

You can make a difference by simply forwarding this newsletter to your co-workers, colleagues, and other business and personal contacts. Encourage them to visit www.texasjudges.org for more information about the state’s judicial system and candidates running in the judicial races. Most importantly, learn about the candidates and cast your vote for those who are most qualified to become—or remain—Texas judges.