electing judges is stupid. but if we do, i like every traditional dem position over every traditional republican position. so why shouldn't i straight party?
Also because some of those alleged "republican" judges may have actually been democrats. It is fairly common for judges to play a little loose with party affiliation since the only way to get elected or appointed for a long time was to be a republican. Additionally, many people do not fit into a nice, neat stereotype of just being a republican or a democrat.