6 things to know about upcoming judicial elections
Including a look at the 20 states with supreme court elections over the next two cycles
Introduction
According to our research, 20 states will elect state supreme court justices over the next two election cycles—including Pennsylvania this November. In addition, more than 7,000 judicial seats at the state, appellate, county, and local levels will be on the ballot.
At BallotReady, our research team is tracking every one of these open seats across the country—and providing in-depth information on certified candidates running for them.
See a preview of our findings below, and contact us to learn more about becoming a data partner.
1) Over 800 elected judicial seats are on the ballot this November.
2) This includes 3 state supreme court retention elections in Pennsylvania, along with over 100 state trial court judgeships
3) There are over 6000 open judicial seats in 2026, spanning across 45 states.
4) Nineteen states will elect state supreme court justices in 2026 including Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin.
5) Many of the largest counties will elect superior court judges in 2026 including in Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Phoenix.
6) Judicial election formats vary by state
According to Democracy Docket, there are five key methods used to select state court judges:
Partisan elections: Candidates run with party affiliations and compete in primaries and general elections (e.g., North Carolina).
Nonpartisan elections: Candidates appear on the ballot without party labels, though parties may still endorse (e.g., Wisconsin).
Legislative elections: State legislatures appoint judges directly, with no public vote (e.g., Virginia).
Gubernatorial appointments: Governors nominate judges, typically confirmed by a council or legislature (e.g., California).
Merit selection with retention votes: A nonpartisan commission recommends candidates to the governor, and judges face yes/no retention votes (e.g., Pennsylvania, which has over 100 such elections this year).
The Brennan Center provides an interactive map where you can can explore each state's judicial selection method.
