Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Central Texas

Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse
October 8, 2008

Austin – A large number of Texas voters skip Supreme Court and other judicial contests with many of them saying they simply don’t know enough about the candidates to make an informed choice.  

According to a recent survey of Texas voters, a candidate’s judicial experience and judicial philosophy were mentioned as the top two most important factors when choosing whom to support in statewide and local judicial contests.  However, only 64 percent of voters surveyed said they usually cast a ballot in all or most judicial elections.  More than 3 in 10 voters said they voted in none or only some of these contests and 74 percent of these voters say they simply don’t know enough about the candidates for judicial office to make an informed decision.  The survey of 804 Texas voters was conducted by Baselice & Associates from July 27-30 and has a margin of error of 3.5%.

Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse groups today launched an educational campaign – Good Judges Matter - to encourage Texas voters to make their voices heard in statewide and local judicial contests and help voters make an informed choice in the General Election on November 4.  The Good Judges Matter campaign includes online resources (www.tala.com), radio advertising and brochures that are being made available to Texans across the state.

“From schools to the environment to health care, our judges make decisions that can impact our daily lives; yet, in the last presidential election cycle, almost half a million voters didn’t cast a ballot in the one contested Supreme Court race on the ballot,” said Mike Hachtman, a Houston-based board member of Texans Against Lawsuit Abuse. “From a recent survey, we know Texans are interested in their judges and they know that good judges who fairly interpret and apply the law matter.  But we also know that many simply don’t feel they are informed enough to cast a ballot in these important elections.  Good Judges Matter will give voters a resource to learn more about the judicial candidates and the background they need to make an informed choice in November.”

Roger Borgelt, member of the Board of Directors of Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Central Texas, added, “Electing good judges who have the background and qualifications to serve is critical to our state.  Our survey shows that Texans understand this and appreciate the role the courts play, but as voters they want more information so they can make an informed choice in these contests.”

The number of voters who skip judicial elections varies by election year but in the last presidential election about 500,000 of the 7.4 million voters who went to the polls did not cast a ballot in the one contested

The number of voters who skip judicial elections varies by election year but in the last presidential election about 500,000 of the 7.4 million voters who went to the polls did not cast a ballot in the one contested race for Texas Supreme Court.  In non-presidential election years, the drop off from the top of the ticket to the judicial contests can range from between 100,000 to almost 1 million voters, according to an analysis of election results posted on the Texas Secretary of State website.

Yet, despite the performance at the polls, a majority of Texans surveyed said they are interested in judicial elections at the state and local level.  And, when they learn more about the role of the high court in particular, the interest increases by almost 20 percent.

 “Our judges have extraordinary power and it’s the duty of every Texans to learn about our system and the judges seeking our vote,” Hachtman said.  “In this election, we have the opportunity to vote in three contested races for the state Supreme Court and a host of local judicial contests.  Our system gives Texas voters an important voice in determining who sits on the bench and we should honor that choice by making an informed decision.”

Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse is a nonprofit, nonpartisan grassroots watchdog organization dedicated to educating the public about the costs and consequences of lawsuit abuse and ensuring that our legal system is used for justice, not greed.  Additional details about CALA and the Good Judges Matter campaign are available at www.tala.com.