02.01.10 Illinois Voters Once Again Face 'Daunting Task'
Illinois Voters Once Again Face 'Daunting Task'
Produced by Sam Hudzik, Chicago Public Radio
Voters in Illinois still have a few more hours to study the candidates for judge they'll be asked to pick from on Tuesday.
Primary election results from two years ago show a large chunk of voters across Cook County decided to leave blanks instead of voting for judges.
RICH: I understand why some people find it a daunting task.
Malcolm Rich is executive director of the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice, a group that works to educate voters on candidates for judge.
RICH: One unqualified judge can make such a huge difference in the lives of thousands and thousands of people. And on the other hand, one good judge can make such a difference, not only just in individual lives but in the whole community around them.
Bar associations have issued scorecards on the qualification of candidates for judge in Cook County. Democrats have candidates for every vacancy, while Republicans are competing in just one. The Green Party has no candidates running for judge.