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Last night, in the midst of furiously tweeting election returns, John Micek over at Capitol Ideas posted this “Exit Poll,” asking readers to identify how they decided who to vote for in the Supreme Court race.  Initially, we thought this was an amusing diversion as we awaited the election results. But now Micek is reporting the poll results:

Forty-one percent of respondents to a massively unscientific Capitol Ideas poll cited party affiliation as their reason for voting in the Supreme Court race, while 23 percent cited their records. Interestingly, an equal number credited what they read in the press and on the Web for swaying their decisions.

Party affiliation was the big explainer.  We’ve always known that voters turn to a few key factors in low turn-out elections where relevant information about the candidates is hard to get.  This admittedly unscientific poll confirms the role of party affiliation in voter decision-making.

The thing is, party affiliation really tells us nothing about whether someone is qualified to serve on the bench or will make a good judge or justice.  So, we’re relying on party politics to decide who will serve in what is supposed to be the apolitical, impartial branch of government.

There’s a better way to make these decisions.  Merit Selection of appellate court judges is the best way to get the most qualified, fair and impartial judges on the bench.

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