Information about Iowa's 2026 Judicial Retention Elections

Three appellate judges and 84 trial court judges will stand for retention and appear on Iowa voters’ ballots in the Nov. 3 general election. In a retention election, voters decide whether a judge should be retained or removed from office.  

Today, The Iowa State Bar Association released a judicial retention voter guide. It includes information about the professional qualifications of every judge standing for retention, along with the results of a performance evaluation by Iowa lawyers. The evaluation asks members of the association to rate judges on several issues and to state whether each judge should be retained.  

The three appellate judges will appear on all voters’ ballots. Iowa voters can also vote on the retention of trial court judges in their local judicial election district.  

Voters may visit the Iowa Judicial Branch website for more information about retention elections.  

Background on Iowa’s merit selection and retention process:  

In 1962, Iowa voters approved a constitutional amendment that replaced the process of selecting judges by general elections based on political party politics with a nonpartisan merit selection and retention process. A nonpartisan commission screens and interviews applicants for judicial office and forwards a slate of nominees to the governor, who makes the final appointment. Merit selection and retention focuses on the professional qualifications of judges—experience, legal expertise and knowledge, judicial temperament, and promotion of a fair, impartial, and accountable judiciary.  

After serving a full year on the bench, every justice and judge must stand for retention at the next general election and then near the end of each regular term of office. In a retention election, judges do not have opponents. Instead, voters decide whether to retain a judge based on the judge’s professional competency. If a judge receives a majority of “yes” votes, the judge may serve another full term.  

For More Information:

Katarina Sostaric
Communications Director
Iowa Judicial Branch
katarina.sostaric@iowacourts.gov

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.