IOWA, USA — Polls in Iowa close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Visit this link for complete election results or text RESULTS to 515-457-1026.
Iowans will hit the polls on Nov. 8 to vote for highly contested races that will elect the state's governor, U.S. senator, members of Iowa's statehouse legislature and more.
But once you make it through the names on front of the ballot, there are still important votes to be cast on the back — such as the judicial retention elections.
Here is a guide to making a decision regarding judicial retention in your district.
What are judicial retention elections?
A retention election is a tool for Iowa's voters to provide feedback on the professional competency of their judges.
A 1962 Amendment to the Iowa Constitution made it so judges are not elected but appointed through a merit selection process. As one of 21 states to hold retention elections, Iowa aims to keep judges impartial over their terms.
Typically located on the back of the ballot, voters will be faced with the option to vote on whether a judge should be retained this November.
If a judge receives more "no" votes than "yes" from their constituents, the judge will be removed from office at the end of the year.
Where can I learn more about the judges?
In order to make a retention decision for a merit-appointed judge, it's necessary to learn more about the judges and their performance upholding the law.
You can read through performance evaluation surveys about the judges completed by the Iowa State Bar Association members here.
The Iowa Secretary of State also compiled a pdf of judge bios and information about the process, which you can access here.
Who's on the ballot?
Check out the Iowa Judicial Branch's district map of courts to find out who will be on the back of your ballot.
For a full list of judges seeking retention in 2022, read below or click here.
- Matthew McDermott
- Dana L. Oxley
Court of Appeals
- Paul B. Ahlers
- Gina Badding
District 1A
District court
- Laura J. Parrish
- Michael J. Shubbat
District 1B
District court
- Melissa A. Anderson-Seeber
- Linda Myers Fangman
- David P. Odekirk
- Richard D. Stochl
District Associate
- Michelle M Wagner
Associate Juvenile
- Daniel L. Block
District 2A
District associate
- Peter B. Newell
District 2B
District court
- John R. Flynn
- John J. Haney
- Jennifer A. Miller
District Associate
- Steven Van Marel
District 3A
District court
- Shayne L. Mayer
- John M. Sandy
District Associate
- Shawna Ditsworth
- Ann M. Gales
District 3B
District court
- Steven Andreasen
- James N. Daane
- Jeffrey A. Neary
- Roger L. Sailer
- Patrick H. Tott
District Associate
- Kristal L. Phillips
District Associate
- Kristal L. Phillips
District 4
District court
- Richard H. Davidson
- Kathleen A. Kilnoski
- Jeffrey L. Larson
District Associate
- Charles D. Fagan
District 5A
District court
- Stacy Ritchie
District Associate
- Erica Crisp
District 5B
District court
- Dustria Relph
District 5C
District court
- Jeffrey D. Farrell
- Robert B. Hanson
- William P. Kelly
- David Porter
- Scott D. Rosenberg
- Paul D. Scott
- Jeanie K. Vaudt
District Associate
- Susan Cox
- Cynthia Moisan
- Brent Pattison
- Jesse T. Ramirez
- Kimberly Rodgers Smith
District 6
District court
- Lars G. Anderson
- Christopher Bruns
- Valerie L. Clay
- Chad A. Kepros
- Justin A. Lightfoot
- Kevin McKeever
- Sean W. McPartland
- Ian K. Thornhill
District associate
- Carrie K. Bryner
- Jason A. Burns
- Heidi A. Carmer
District 7
District court
- Jeffrey D. Bert
- Meghan Corbin
- Stuart P. Werling
District Associate
- Michael E. Motto
- Kimberly Shepherd
District 8A
District Court
- Joel D. Yates
District Associate
- Kirk Arthur Daily
Associate Juvenile
- William S. Owens
District 8B
- No judges are due to stand for retention
► Download the We Are Iowa app
► Sign up for Local 5's "5 Things to Know" email newsletter
► Subscribe to Local 5 News on YouTube