HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell and three of his Republican predecessors on Wednesday urges lawmakers to advance a proposal to replace the current statewide election of Pennsylvania's top judges with an appointment process.

Rendell was joined by Mark Schweiker, and fellow former Govs. Tom Ridge and Dick Thornburgh participated by telephone, at a Wednesday news conference to release a new poll on the issue.

"All we're saying is give the people the right to vote on this very important issue," said Rendell, who was flanked by legislators and supporters of the bill.

Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, which is spearheading the campaign to put the issue before voters, says a statewide survey it commissioned shows a majority of voters believe they should be allowed to vote on the proposal, and a smaller majority favors changing how appellate judges are selected.

But the survey also revealed that nearly half of the voters do not know whether the state's appellate judges are appointed or elected.

Supporters of the proposed constitutional amendment say it would free candidates for the three appellate courts from having to raise money from lawyers and businesses that appear before them and ease the perception of political bias.

The proposed merit-selection system would include a 14-member public commission to screen applicants and recommend potential nominees. The governor would choose nominees from that list. Appointees who win Senate confirmation would face a yes-or-no retention election four years later and every decade after that.

Pennsylvania is one of only six states that elect all judges in partisan elections, said Lynn Marks, executive director of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts.

Rendell said a statewide referendum could be held as early as next year if the Legislature approves.