What to know about judges before you vote
SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The March 5 election will have state district court candidates for several counties on the ballot including Crawford, Sebastian, and Washington counties.
Daniel Bennett, associate professor of political science at John Brown University says when you are voting for judges, you should know that these are important positions as they make decisions that could impact your life.
Before voting for a district court judge in your area, Bennett says you should research each candidate.
“What kind of issues are they talking about? What kind of experience does the candidate for judicial office have? Have they been a prosecutor? Have they been a defense attorney? Do they have deep ties to the state? Are they potentially seeking a future political office in something else?” Bennett said.
He says all of these questions could be relevant to how the nominee could rule as a future judge.
“If people can find out what past experience a candidate for judicial office has had, what kinds of experiences they’re touting in campaign advertisements or fliers or mailers. These are all things that are important for people as they make those choices,” Bennett said.
A judge is someone who oversees trials according to Bennett.
He says they take on criminal and civil cases, render verdicts, and impose sentences on people convicted of crimes.
“It’s really a wide range of responsibilities,” Bennett said.
Early voting polling sites in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley
He says the best way for you to decide which judge to vote for is to determine what kind of priorities or characteristics you want in a judge.
“If a judge or a potential judge is talking about the need for rehabilitation and making sure justice is applied equally, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, that could resonate with the voter,” Bennett said.
He says if a candidate is talking about their commitment to law and order and ensuring justice for the accused then that can also be a compelling reason to vote for that person.
David Carbajal, a senior intercultural studies and psychology major at John Brown University, says he looks for who they are as a person.
“Have they hate crime somebody I mean, hopefully not. But sometimes, all kinds of people are running for elections,” he said.
Another student at the university, Ellie Chavez, looks for something similar.
“What do they stand for? What are they trying to promote? Like, how do my views align with that?” Chavez said. “Kind of just understanding, like, who are they as a person? And what do they want to happen for whatever region they’re over?
Anna Riley, a freshman humanitarian and disaster major at John Brown University, says she is looking for someone whose beliefs align with her own.
Bennett says there’s not one right answer about what type of judge to vote for.
“It really does boil down to what kind of characteristics you see in that judge moving forward,” Bennett said.
“There are people that don’t get to and there are people that wish that they could, and so why would not use my right and I have it,” Riley said.
Chavez says even if you don’t vote, you should still know what’s going on in your community because it affects how you live and the people that you interact with.
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