The millions in campaign funding poured into the Wisconsin Supreme Court election spotlights the increasing partisanship around these supposedly neutral court roles. It also feeds a growing concern nationally about the independence of state high courts.
In some ways, electing judges makes sense. The judicial system should carry out the will of the people after all.
But I agree with you in general that the election system is highly flawed.
That is what juries are for. Judges are supposed to be the specialist technocrats of legal system. Juries are then for “feelings of the society” matters. Most importantly nobody has to campaign or owe anyone large sums of money to get into jury.
Carrying out the will of the people is not a judges role, especially the supreme court.
A primary role of judges is to deny the will of the people in favor of what some slavers wanted hundreds of years ago.