Among the races voters will decide on during the Aug. 26 primary is the 20th Circuit Court judicial race. But, these races feature candidates who can’t reveal much about their points-of-view, which makes it difficult for voters.
At a meeting with the Lee County Injury Prevention Coalition, circuit judge candidate Robert Branning explained what makes judicial races so tricky.
“Why is there such a lack of information about judicial races? We can’t tell you anything,” Branning said.
Judges are supposed to be impartial. So, voters are often left to read in between the lines when learning about the candidates.
To learn more about a judicial candidate, Branning said try to get a sense of who they are, what they do in their spare time such as volunteering, who’s endorsing them and their professional experience.
“I think you want to take a composite view and see them as people, as attorneys, as people who are involved in the community,” he said.
It’s murkier ground than running for other Florida offices. Campaigning means speaking up. But, judicial candidates must speak in a way that doesn’t conflict with the unbiased nature of the office they seek.
