Primary day is finally upon us here in Illinois. So long to the mailers and the long, long voice messages that only ensure that I won’t vote for that candidate. The only thing along those lines I got that worked were a couple of handwritten notes from a judicial candidate.

And that’s only because there were three equally qualified candidates, so the time she took nudged me over the edge. Wouldn’t have worked if she wasn’t qualified, though.

Speaking of judges, one of the trickiest parts of voting in Illinois is choosing judicial candidates. The Illinois State Bar Association prepares a pocket guide, as does the Chicago Bar Association. The Chicago Bar also has an in-depth guide that’s handy to keep on your phone for those close calls, it tells you more about each candidate.

I found the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening’s guide particularly helpful when there was more than one qualified candidate. For example, one hopeful worked for a gang task force, and was not recommended by the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago (BWLA). That’s something worth noting when considering how a person might rule from the bench.

For other counties or large cities within Illinois, just search for the name of your county or city and “Bar association judicial recommendations.”

Happy voting, all!