Information surplus isn’t a problem

We’ve supported efforts by business groups to issue judicial ratings for judges on the retention ballot, believing a well-designed informational campaign would serve voters well. So far, that’s proving true.

The existence of the business-backed Oklahoma Civil Justice Council’s judicial ratings has led the Oklahoma Bar Association to launch a similar informational campaign. Because the bar makes clear its system is designed to counter the business-backed ratings, it may have a very different take on judicial effectiveness.

That’s fine. The existence of competing rating systems increases the amount of information available to voters. Rather than confuse citizens, we think a surplus of information is far preferable to the vacuum that existed in past elections.

Voters are accustomed to dealing with claims and counterclaims from candidates for other offices; they won’t be intimidated by competing information regarding judicial effectiveness.

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