Judicial Voter Guide Clarification
Judicial races are nonpartisan, and late voter-guide confusion has raised questions in Oakland and Jackson counties. This guide separates county-party preferred or endorsed candidates from official ballot context so voters can check names before casting a ballot.
Why This Exists
Questions were raised about earlier Republican judicial voter-guide materials. Because those materials appear to have been removed, this page gives voters one clear place to check county-party preferred or endorsed candidates, the court names, and the official ballot context.
County Party Clarification
These are the county-party preferred or endorsed judicial candidates identified in Oakland and Jackson materials reviewed for this clarification.
Oakland County Circuit Court
Lisa Marie Neilson
Oakland GOP preference
Oakland County Probate Court
Jessica Ann Hallmark
Oakland GOP preference
Jackson 12th District Court
Nicole Hughes
JXNGOP endorsement
Oakland County
Oakland County voters should pay close attention to court labels. The Oakland County Circuit Court race and Oakland County Probate Court race are separate judicial contests.
Preferred candidate indicated by Oakland County Republican leadership
Neilson is the county-party preferred candidate for the 6th Circuit Court non-incumbent position. Her campaign emphasizes ten years of prior Family Court judicial experience.
Jackson County
The Jackson issue appears to involve a November judicial race rather than an August 4 primary contest.
Jackson County GOP Homepage
Endorsed candidate listed on the JXNGOP homepage graphic
The Jackson County Republican Party homepage includes an endorsement graphic naming Nicole Hughes for 12th District Court. Based on public election materials reviewed so far, this should be treated as a Jackson County Republican Party endorsed candidate for the November ballot rather than an August 4 primary item.
Nonpartisan does not mean the race skips the primary. In Michigan, some judicial races appear on the August primary ballot when enough candidates file for a seat. The August vote narrows the field for November, but the candidates do not run as Republican or Democratic nominees.
