Supreme Weekly: Comparing votes from the 2010 election
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May 12, 2011
Recent events have increased the debate over judicial selection across the nation, especially in the state Supreme Courts. The hotly contested election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court encouraged national editorials demanding a switch to merit selection for state Supreme Court judges, while conservative state legislatures have concentrated on removing restrictions that differentiate between judicial and legislative elections.
At the core of both arguments is the voters. Fans of merit selection imply that average voters do not have interest in judicial elections, or are unable to obtain information to reasonably elect judges. Those in favor of electing judges maintain that the strength of a democracy lies with representatives being held accountable for decisions made in office.
So how many people actually cast a ballot in judicial elections? Are voters apathetic about judicial elections? This week, we combed through the official summary reports from the states that held Supreme Court judicial elections last year to find out.
| Notes on the table |
|---|
| We compared the number of voters for a Supreme Court race (or average of, if there were multiple races) to the number of voters for the highest executive or legislative race in the state. The first choice was to compare voters for two statewide races, but if no governor was elected in 2010, we used a federal Senator or Representative race. |
| In order to obtain a difference, we assumed that those who voted for a Supreme Court race also voted for the highest race on the ticket in the state. |
| Highlighted states held retention races for the Supreme Court. |
| *Idaho is the only state where the totals came from different elections. The judges in the state were elected in the primary election and the governor in the general. |
| State | Number of votes for Supreme Court race | Number of votes for highest executive/legislative race | Percentage difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Average of three races: 1,446,579 | Governor: 1,494,273 | Difference of 47,694 votes or 3.2% [1] |
| Alaska | 233,409 | Senator: 255,962 | Difference of 22,553 votes or 8.8%[2] |
| Arizona | 1,198,621 | Governor: 1,728,081 votes | Difference of 529,460 or 30.6%[3] |
| Colorado | Average of three races: 1,438,211 | Governor: 1,787,730 | Difference of 349,519 or 19.5%[4] |
| Florida | Average of four races: 4,448,139 | Governor: 5,359,735 | Difference of 911,596 votes or 17%[5] |
| Georgia | 2,090,164 | Governor: 2,576,161 | Difference of 485,997 votes or 18.8%[6] |
| Idaho** | Average of two races: 158,266 | Governor: 452,535 | Difference of 294,269 votes or 65%[7] |
| Iowa | Average of three races: 1,133,403 | Governor: 1,133,430 | Difference of 27 votes or >.01%[8] |
| Kansas | Average of four races: 700,557 | Governor: 838,790 | Difference of 138,233 votes or 16.4%[9] |
| Michigan | Average of two races: 2,351,531 | Governor: 3,226,088 | Difference of 874,557 votes or 27.1%[10] |
| Minnesota | Average of three races: 1,520,874 | Governor: 2,107,021 | Difference of 586,147 votes or 27.8%[11] |
| Missouri | 1,640,460 | Senator: 1,943,899 | Difference of 303,439 votes or 15.6%[12] |
| Montana | Average of a contested and retention election: 314,260 | Representative: 360,341 | Difference of 46,081 or 12.7%[13] |
| North Carolina | 2,012,869 | Senate: 2,660,079 | Difference of 647,210 votes or 24.3%[14] |
| Ohio | Average of three races: 2,907,194 | Governor: 3,852,453 | Difference of 945,259 or 24.5%[15] |
| Oklahoma | Average of two races: 883,343 | Governor: 1,034,767 | Difference of 151,424 votes or 14.6%[16] |
| Texas | Average of three races: 4,843,501 | Governor: 4,979,870 | Difference of 136,369 votes or 2.7%[17] |
| Washington | Average of three races: 1,728,648 | Senator: 2,511,094 | Difference of 728,446 votes or 29%[18] |
| West Virginia | 471,291 | Senator: 529,948 | Difference of 58,657 votes or 11%[19] |
| Wyoming | Average of two races: 159,336 | Governor: 188,530 | Difference of 29,194 votes or 15.4%[20] |
Perhaps unsurprisingly, in not one state did more voters case ballots for the judicial races over the legislative/executive races. However, the disparity in people voting for these races remains consistent across states with retention elections or standard election of judges. This suggests that perhaps other factors are equally important in the consideration of voter participation.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, November 2, 2010 Certified Results
- ↑ Alaska Division of Elections, November 2, 2010 Certified Results
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, November 2, 2010 Certified Results
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, November 2, 2010 Certified Report
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, Election Results
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, November 2, 2010 General Election Results
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, May 25, 2010 Primary Election Results
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, November 2, 2010 General Election Results
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, November 2, 2010 General Election Results
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, November 2, 2010 Official General Election Results
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, November 2, 2010 Results for all judicial races (dead link)
- ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, November 2, 2010 Official Election Returns
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, November 2, 2010 Official Results
- ↑ North Carolina Elections, November 2, 2010 Official Results
- ↑ North Carolina Secretary of State, November 2, 2010 Official Election Results
- ↑ Oklahoma Elections, November 2, 2010 Official Election Results
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, Election Results Scroll to 2010 General Election
- ↑ Washington Elections, November 2, 2010 General Election Results (dead link)
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, November 2, 2010 Statewide Official Results
- ↑ Wyoming Secretary of State, November 2, 2010 Judicial Retentions Official Summary
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