Prof. Emeritus Herbert Kritzer Interviewed by the Pioneer Press About Voting on Judicial Races

Professor Emeritus Herbert Kritzer was quoted in the Pioneer Press regarding rare contested district judicial races and the low number of voters that mark that part of their ballots. Most Minnesota District Court judicial races are uncontested, but this year two contested Ramsey County District Court races are among six contested district seats out of 93 total in Minnesota. Only four incumbent district judges have lost their elections since 2000, but it does occur. Prof. Kritzer said, “To lose, there has to be a reason.” In addition, many voters skip judicial races on their ballots entirely. Kritzer said it’s his belief that many if not most Minnesotans have no idea who these judges are before they enter the voting booth. He said, “There is a phenomenon referred to as roll-offs in voting, meaning that people cast votes for the higher offices on the ticket but don’t cast votes for the lower offices. They don’t know enough about them to do it.”