Sarah Boettcher has always been interested in politics and elections.

But the junior at Naperville North High School noticed something when it came to judicial elections. There wasn’t much or any information about candidates available except for the ones running in Cook County elections.

This made the motivated Boettcher do something about the lack of info.

She created Know Your State Judges (knowyourstatejudges.org) to help voters make the best decision they could come the Tuesday, Nov. 5 election.

“I’ve always been really interested in politics. During my freshman year of high school, I joined a couple civic leadership clubs, which is where I got more information on how to get involved in my community,” Boettcher said. “Then I learned about our judicial system. I did my own research and found organizations that gave judicial guides for Cook County elections, but there was nothing for outside of Cook County.

“That’s where I realized we had a lack of information. I feel judicial elections are a lot more important than people think they are. I wanted to put a lot of focus and increase representation.”

Know Your State Judges is a website database for voters to look up candidates to make sure voters know about each one before they vote. Site visitors can also learn where they can find more information and about the judicial branch in general.

“I wanted it beginner friendly, so I provide information on all the candidates. I focus more on judges outside of Cook County circuit judges because that’s where the most information is,” Boettcher said. “I also provide information on the judicial system. I have information on the four different types of judges and how you can find judges in your area.

“I made sure to keep it well balanced and have equal representation for each candidate.”

What is incredible about Boettcher and Know Your State Judges is it was created out of her desire to do so.

It wasn’t a school project.

It wasn’t part of a civic group.

She’s not being paid for it.

Boettcher, who cannot vote because she is a junior in high school, simply wanted to help Americans who can vote.

“Since I cannot vote in this election, I wanted to get as many people as I could to use their votes. I don’t think people realize how powerful a vote can be,” Boettcher said. “I was hoping I could create something that got other people who could vote to use that power. When I was starting, I made sure I reached out to the candidates as possible to let them know who I was and verify my information.

“I went to a couple of forums, and they were talking to voters because that’s who would get them on the bench. It was hard to get credibility as someone who is under 18. I was transparent with them to make sure who I was and what I was trying to do.”

Boettcher also reached out to Injustice Watch, the organization who creates judicial guides in Cook County, to ask questions about their structure and their research process. She called Injustice Watch a mentor during the development of Know Your State Judges.

The election enthusiast said she doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up and doesn’t know if politics is her desired industry, but she knows she will always be a community and election activist.