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# GOTV WG Recommendation on Judicial Retention Elections
- URL: https://www.indivisibleca.net/gotv-wg-recommendation-on-judicial-retention-elections/
- Published: 2026-10-04T21:48:20.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-04T21:48:20.000Z
- Author: Joel Ellinwood

The Indivisible California State Network Working Group on GOTV has been focused on ways to encourage Early Voting in this critical election cycle.  
  
To that end, they have gathered information about ballot recommendations in the run-up to the voting season, so as to enable voters to fill-out their ballots as soon as they have them in hand.  
  
One of the categories that can hold up voters is state judges. In California, at the Supreme Court and Appeals Court level, Justices are appointed by the governor to serve 12-year terms, and then come up for a retention election (Yes or No) at the end of each term in order to be elected to another term.  
  
On the 2026 ballot, there are two Supreme Court justices, and a varying number of Appeals Court justices across six districts statewide. Voters will vote for the two Supreme Court justices and all Appeals Court justices in the one district where they are located.  
  
There is not a lot of independent information easily available about these judges, other than their professional biographies and the governor who appointed them, and voters often can be puzzled about how to vote.  
  
**GOTV WG recommends voting 'Yes' for all judicial retention votes, except in cases where there is demonstrated bad behavior that warrants removal.**  
  
Right-wing groups have spent decades attempting to remove judges who are not ideologically conservative enough for their activist mission, and will sometimes target judges for 'No' votes in order to skew the courts on an ideological basis. For this reason, it's important to have enough explicit 'Yes' votes to retain these judges, and not just leave the race blank.  
  
The exception is when judges have scandals or ethical transgressions, in which case regardless of ideology they should be removed by the voters. If a judge has been involved in such controversy to the extent that it shows up in the press (even just local press) and has been adjudicated, that would be a fair indication of cause for removal.  
  
In the absence of such circumstances, GOTV WG generally recommends voting 'Yes' to retain the judge for another term.  
  
If your local Indivisible group has investigated more deeply and has a reason to vote 'No' on a judge in your district, the WG defers to local expertise.