VotingforJudges is a nonpartisan, impartial source of information about judicial elections in the state of Washington. The site was established in 2006 to provide information to voters in connection with the judicial candidates running for election that year.

Our archives retain information from the 2006, 2007 and 2008 elections. We are now covering Washington's 2009 elections.

TIP: To determine which elections will be on your ballot, click on Show My Elections. This will let you select your county, then take you directly to the information that is most relevant for you. (Because there are only a few contested elections this year, they are also all set forth below.)

2009

Only a few this year.

The Primary Election will be held on August 18. The election for the Court of Appeals, Division I, District 1, Position 3 will appear on the Primary ballot, and the winner of the Primary will appear on the General Election ballot unopposed.

Other judicial elections, including those for Municipal Court, will only appear on the Primary ballot if more than two candidates file for a position. Therefore, the only other judicial election on the August 18 ballot will be Position 1 of the Federal Way Municipal Court, where there are six candidates.

The General Election is set for November 3. Elections appearing on that ballot will include one Snohomish County Superior Court position; Bremerton Municipal Court; two Federal Way Municipal Court positions; and one Spokane Municipal Court election. The winner of the Primary Election for the Court of Appeals Division I, District 1, Position 3, will appear on the General ballot without opposition, as will all unopposed incumbent judges who are up for election this year.

NEW: There will be an election in November for an open Snohomish County Superior Court position. A special three-day filing period (August 19-21) will allow candidates to file for this position. VotingforJudges will cover this race as it develops.

Most judicial elections take place in even-numbered years.

In 2008, there were elections for three Supreme Court justices, several Court of Appeals judges, and all Superior Court positions.

In 2010, there will be elections for three Supreme Court justices, several Court of Appeals judges, and all District Court positions.

This year, the only elections are for one Court of Appeals position (King County) (where Anne Ellington is being challenged by Robert Kelly), one Superior Court position (Clark County) (where Scott Collier is running unopposed for re-election), one District Court position (Garfield County) (where incumbent John R. Henry is running unopposed for the remaining one year of the current term) and the following Municipal Court positions:

• Auburn (no challenger)
• Bellingham (no challenger)
• Bremerton
• Edmonds (no challenger)
• Everett (2) (no challenger)
• Federal Way (2)
• Kent (2) (no challenger)
• Kirkland (no challenger)
• Marysville (no challenger)
• Olympia (no challenger)
• Puyallup (no challenger)
• Renton (no challenger)
• Spokane (3)
• Yakima (2) (no challenger)

The Primary Election will be held on August 18. The election for the Court of Appeals, Division I, District 1, Position 3 will appear on the Primary ballot, and the winner of the Primary will appear on the General Election ballot unopposed.

Other judicial elections, including those for Municipal Court, will only appear on the Primary ballot if more than two candidates file for a position. Therefore, the only other judicial election on the August 18 ballot will be Position 1 of the Federal Way Municipal Court, where there are six candidates.

The General Election is set for November 3. Elections appearing on that ballot will include one Snohomish County Superior Court position; Bremerton Municipal Court; two Federal Way Municipal Court positions; and one Spokane Municipal Court election. The winner of the Primary Election for the Court of Appeals Division I, District 1, Position 3, will appear on the General ballot without opposition, as will all unopposed incumbent judges who are up for election this year.

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Honors

The American Bar Association honored VotingforJudges with its 2007 Silver Gavel Award for Media and the Arts, in the "New Media" category. In addition, the Atlanta-based Foundation for Improvement of Justice presented one of its Paul H. Chapman Justice Awards for 2007 to VotingforJudges.

Paul Fjelstad, the Kitsap attorney who designed and provides ongoing updates to VotingforJudges, was honored with the 2007 King County Bar Association President's Award for his work. 

Numerous newspaper editorials have praised and recommended this site.

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