In local elections...

[Alcon]

In local and state elections for positions that are partisan but are not extremely political (state auditor, SoS, county commissioner, etc.), do you primarily vote:

Option 1: Based on the party affiliation and/or politics of the candidate.

Option 2: Based on the candidate's qualifications/non-political reasons.

If you vote for the "common-sense liberal" or "qualified conservatives" or something like that, pick Option 2.

[Keystone Phil]

I still research the candidates concerning qualifications and such (example: 2004 State Treasurer race) but lean towards going with the party ID.

[MasterJedi]

It's usually a mix so I didn't vote.

[Alcon]

It's usually a mix so I didn't vote.

I know.  That's why I specifically said "primary."  I assume most people have a mix.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Pretty much all Minnesota local elections are non-partisan so that's not an issue.

For state offices where you don't think ideology would matter too much, I still vote partisanly. The reasons being:

1-Those ofices can serve as a launching pad to governorships and Senate seats.
2-Republicans can still be very stupid in such offices.

For example, Minnesota Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer in 2004 tried to wipe the Minnesota Independence Party off the ballot by digging up an archaic old obscurish law about qualifications and deciding now it was time to enforce it (despite the fact it had been ignored for decades), she later lost in court. And even dumber, she sent out posters to every polling station on the primaries saying (I wish I was making this up) to be on a look out for possible suicide bombers because terrorists might try to disrupt the elections. Remember that this was during the primaries, which had a 7.6% turnout due to no major offices being up for election (I voted in them, but that was only so I could register my new address. Otherwise even I wouldn't have). Some rural precincts had more poll workers than voters. If you're a terrorist suicide bomber, are you going to try to disrupt an almost zero turnout unimportant election in some little farming town in Minnesota as your target? It was so idiotic that many polling stations just threw them away and didn't put them away.

So I can't even handle a Republican Secretary of State.

[Nym90]

Generally by party.

[Platypus]

Well, the City of Port Phillip is basically a one-party council, so candidate. Sometimes someone will run against the CAPPer.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Option One (if there's a Labour candidate), Option Two if not. O/c most councillers are a waste of space; what's happend to local politics here over the past three decades is a true tragedy.

[TeePee4Prez]

Defintiely Option 2 locally.

[Speed of Sound]

I still research the candidates concerning qualifications and such (example: 2004 State Treasurer race) but lean towards going with the party ID.

Same here. I tend to vote (or support, rather) only Democrats, with the execption of ones that have a lack of traits or bad history. (my example: state rep. 2004)