Few Arizona voters have met the judges on the Nov. 5 ballot.

We don’t follow their cases and haven’t sat in their courtrooms.

But — like most races and questions at the bottom of the ballot — our decisions to keep or boot judges can have wide-ranging impacts.

How do we make an informed choice?

There are two Supreme Court justices — Clint Bolick and Kathryn King — on the Nov. 5 ballot. Everyone votes on them and appellate court judges.

There are two appellate court divisions and two judges up for retention in each this year. Division 1 serves Apache, Coconino, La Paz, Navajo, Maricopa, Mohave, Yavapai and Yuma counties; Division 2 serves the rest.

Voters in Arizona’s more urban counties also must vote on superior court judges, which handle criminal, civil, juvenile and family court cases. There are:

The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review is a nonpartisan board that surveys lawyers, clients, witnesses, jurors, court staff and other judges who have interacted directly with those up for retention.

They are asked to rate judges’........

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