A judicial retention election is a process in which voters decide whether a sitting judge should be retained on the bench for another term. These elections involve reviewing and voting on judges individually, rather than electing new judges to fill open positions. Judges who do not receive the majority vote for retention are replaced by candidates chosen by a judicial nominating commission. Some states have implemented a merit selection system for judges, while others use a yes-no vote on the ballot. Low voter turnout in retention elections is often considered to be acceptable as long as the judge was recommended by the commission and appointed by the governor. Overall, the article discusses the history, purpose, and implementation of judicial retention elections, as well as the methods used for selecting state appellate court judges.