Selecting the right leaders to lead the community or the State is a tricky process. The democratic process offers some guidelines such as the use of ballot to elect the most popular person never mind if he has the skills necessary to run a city or preside as judge. For a long time, the idea of electing a leader based on popularity does not sit well with some people. Especially for those who are highly educated it is hard to accept that an ill-equipped candidate can become a very powerful political figure simply by his or her ability to convince the majority. On the other hand, there are those who even question the wisdom of letting the public decide since they do not have an intimated knowledge of the candidate with regards to skills, educational background, etc.
On the other hand, it is not good to let the “elites” decide because everyone knows very well where this will lead. The upper class can easily concentrate power into their hands. It is clear that while appointing leaders can help ensure the quality of leadership it is also prone to abuse. Yet it is not also enough to let popularity be the sole standard to be used in choosing government officials. This led many to come up with an ingenious solution, the mixed method of selection – combining the appointive and elective method of selecting officials.
The effectiveness of this method was illustrated in selecting state judges. In some states where this method is being used, the governor nominates a candidate for a State Supreme Court vacancy. The governor then submits this nomination to a committee that will decide if this person is fit to serve in that post. If the Committee approves the nomination, then the appointee serves for a limited time, and afterward, he is up for election. This time his fate is in the hands of the general public.