The Philadelphia Bar Association's Judicial Commission takes about 2,000 hours vetting candidates seeking judgeships on the city's courts, so when a report came out saying that the product of those investigations—its ratings list of the candidates—had little impact when compared to ballot position or party endorsement, the bar leadership decided to do something about it.

As a result, during the upcoming May 16 primary, voters may see volunteers from the bar association standing outside targeted polling sites, passing out fliers with the ratings and answering any questions about the process that voters might have. The targeted approach is part of the bar's efforts to increase the judicial commission's effectiveness by taking a more data-driven approach.

Photo: Peter B. Blaikie/Bachrach Photography

“We're going to see if we can make a concerted effort at educating, and if that will make a difference,” Bar Chancellor Deborah Gross said. “We are hoping that people will be voting with independence and education as opposed to simply checking a box.”