The appointment process is far more political than any proposed election, and should be dismantled in the best interests of the courts, the parties, and justice. The state should abandon judicial elections and follow the federal system of appointment and retention. You can remove a judge from politics but you can't remove politics from a judge. While politics can never be removed from the judiciary, the judiciary can be freed from the rigors of partisan politics and the pressures of campaigning for reelection. We need to find a better way.
Judicial evaluation is too important to be left to the judiciary.
The current system has become so adversarial that I think something must be done to work out a system that is acceptable to judges and attorneys. Parties who have appeared before a judge are the ones truly qualified to evaluate. It is their courthouse.