Elections: Getting In Or Out Of Jail And Beyond The Obvious

Flag of Cook County, Illinois (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the run-up to presidential elections, all the attention is focused on that office. Yet in everyday life, the law, government, and politics is much more likely to affect us in terms of what an alderman or local elected official does. Ask yourself, are you more likely to get stopped for a traffic incident, get involved in a legal issue here in Chicago, or to need something from the President of the United States?

As a collective group, the President’s decisions are important, but as we go through our daily routines, it is likely indivi

duals need go to traffic court, or report a robbery or other problem that involves police and the courts and local judges will be making the decisions about our lives in local courts.

There are nearly 60 judges on the ballot this Nov. 6. Their ballot is called a retention ballot, as a judge stays in office unless a majority of voters vote “No” on the recall ballot.

There are also judicial vacancies to be filled by electing new judges. In Chicago, we don’t hold much with appointed justices, for better or worse.

Find non-partisan information about all of the judicial candidates in Cook County and who is qualified to serve, and who might not be, at VoteForJudges.org.

A dozen bar groups evaluate judicial candidates on this basis and newspapers like the Chicago Tribune offer endorsements. You will find judicial evaluation results and endorsements under the Judicial Evaluations and Results tab, so that you have the information you need to vote for qualified judicial candidates.