RALEIGH -- They might very well be the most important elections you have never heard of. When voters head to the polls, toward the bottom of the ballot they will find a host of races that won't grab headlines but are worth paying attention to.
In North Carolina, like 32 other states, we directly elect our judges. Our appellate judges - those who serve on the Court of Appeals or Supreme Court - run statewide and serve eight-year terms. They are often called upon to weigh in on some of the most pressing controversies in the state.
Judicial elections are different from other races. For one, they are nonpartisan. This means if you vote a straight-party ticket, you still need to individually select the people you want to serve on the bench.
These elections also differ in that traditionally they are not issue-based campaigns. The job of judges is to rule only on cases that come before them. They are supposed to be referees of disputes, not players in the political game.
No one wants to come before judges who have already forecast how they would rule on a particular issue back when they were on the campaign trail. As such, you typically don't hear judicial stump speeches that promise to deliver a verdict one way or another.
When it comes to judicial elections this year, voters have to be even more prepared than in years past. Due to the timing of a vacancy when state Court of Appeals Judge Jim Wynn was appointed to a federal court, a primary could not be held before the fall election. Thus, North Carolina will use Instant Runoff Voting in this race.
A total of 13 candidates are competing for this one seat that will appear near the end of the ballot. With such a crowded field, it's vitally important that voters take some time to learn about the candidates.
Because partisan labels are removed from judicial races and issue-based campaigns are contrary to the role of a judge, casting an informed ballot in these contests requires a bit more homework. Political parties, legal organizations and other interest groups make endorsements, which might offer a shortcut to finding a judge who may comport with your views. But if you really want to get your selection right, there is no substitute for a bit of background research.
There are resources available that will help you cast an informed ballot. One is NCVoterGuide.org, developed by the nonpartisan N.C. Center for Voter Education and UNC-TV. The guide brings together candidate profiles and interviews, along with voting resources and other information to help you make the most of your vote.
In addition to that guide, voters will have the chance to watch all of the appellate-level candidates - including the 13 contenders for the Wynn seat - on two statewide televised forums. A forum featuring the Supreme Court candidates will air on UNC-TV at 1 p.m. Sunday. The forum for the Court of Appeals candidates will air the following Sunday, Oct. 31, also at 1 p.m.
Our judicial elections might not command the media attention of a senatorial race, but the people who hold judicial office confront on a daily basis issues of extreme importance. Freedom, property rights and even matters of life or death come before the court. These are important races and require that we hold up our end of the democracy bargain. So long as we elect the people who serve on the bench, we must do our civic duty and cast an informed ballot.
Damon Circosta is executive director of the N.C. Center for Voter Education, a Raleigh-based organization.
