I think it’s irresponsible to vote for anyone or anything I’m not informed about. I read all of the available information on the ballot measures, and try to make informed decisions about all of the candidates, but I still left the judges and a couple of others blank. Since I don’t know anything about them, I don’t want to lessen the impact of votes from people who did their homework.
Since my wife is on the local school board, I generally follow her recommendations on anything education-related.
I probably voted about 90% of my ballot today. When it got down to the last few judicial offices, I jumped ahead to the issue elections. I wanted to hurry up and let other people have time to vote. I also didn’t really have enough time to research every single judge. There were some who weren’t on my Democratic voting guide, so I just left them.
I vote the entire ballot.
I vote for unopposed people beacuse a) if someone bothers to run, they get my vote and b) to guard against write-in wackos.
I usually vote for incumbant judges. I acatually know someone who was running for soil and water conservation district supervisor, so voted for him.
City council was the tough one for me. I know one person, but he wasn’t running (they have diffent length terrms). I read the city council minutes and 95% of the votes are unanimous anyway.
I voted the entire ballot save one race. There was a judgeship up for grabs where there were 4 candidates and no incumbent. Since I knew nothing about any of the candidates I skipped that race. I figured in that situation no candidate would get a majority and we’d be having a runoff soon. I could study up and vote sensibly then. I was right.
Of course I vote for unopposed candidates! If I don’t do it, maybe nobody else will and then they’ll have to spend my tax money on a special election! OK, that’ll never happen, but my brain won’t let me skip over them anyway - just in case.
For once in my life, I voted straigh party-line on all the races that had party names listed…like it made a bit of difference! I didn’t however vote for judge re-elections (we never seem to have judge elections, just votes to determine if they remain in office,) or water district commissioner, because I hadnt head of any of the candidates and they were non-partisan.
I considered doing that, too, but here in Florida at least, you can’t tell if a Hispanic, for instance, is conservative or liberal ( and if they aren’t different politically, why pick one over the other?). And women can be just as conservative, in areas that matter to me, as men.
So basically, if I did that, it would be just like electing your average white man to me.