The Voters Need Facts to Judge the Candidates
What really ought to be a crime is the manner in which we elect judges in Los Angeles County. Judges are forced to solicit votes from a county with 10 million residents with virtually no practical or realistic manner to communicate with the public.
I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that 95% of voters know little or nothing about the candidates running for judge. For most voters, who do not rely on some credible source that reviews candidates, votes are cast based on ballot designation, gender, demographic assumptions and in response to the sound of the candidate’s name -- not based on objective information.
An aggressive judicial candidate might be able to raise a campaign war chest of $200,000, a pittance that barely pays for the ballot statement and some administrative campaign costs -- not even close to what is necessary to educate millions of potential voters.
If we truly want justice in Los Angeles County that relies on the best and brightest jurists, then we need to reform the current system, in which that goal is structurally impossible.
Mayor Jeffrey Prang
West Hollywood
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