When you go to the polls for local elections, is the government in Washington D.C. on your mind? statewide elections....yes. local town elections...no...IMO

Or is local politics just that--local? ...same as above....local town elections are (or should be) local...IMO

How do your local elections reflect on national trends? ...I recall the 2006 local elections reflected national trends and ended many long time political careers on the local level....through no fault of their own. 

Do you pay attention to elections in other cities and states, in considering your own vote? No.

Tell us what you think! historically...extreme volatile issues on the national level (such as the Iraq war, Watergate, tanking economy, Iran hostage situation) will ususally sway voters to seek a drastic political party change..locally as well as nationally.

gary

On the other hand, I know you're watching some of those local elections -- particularly the one in New York, where Palin endorsed the third party candidate, and the Republican candidate dropped out and endorsed the Democrat.

Here in Northeastern Ohio, there's a big FBI corruption probe into the county government.  As a result, there are two different propositions on the local ballot that are aimed at reforming the county government.  One's a complete reorganization.  The other's a proposal to form a study group that'll put forth a reorganization on next year's ballot.

Each of the two proposals is blatantly political.  The slate for one is heavily Republican, and the other is heavily Democratic.  As this is almost always a Democrat-dominated area, the latter would normally be favored.  But people are so upset about the FBI probe, we could see an unusual increase in GOP influence here.

But the BIG issue is casino gambling -- which has been thrice rejected in Ohio already.  Go figure.

But the BIG issue is casino gambling -- which has been thrice rejected in Ohio already.  Go figure.//

Actually, in Pennsyslvania,  casino gambling has never been on a ballot.  The legislature passed a slots bill about four years ago, and will probably pass table games in the next week or so.  Here, it's purely a revenue issue, and the folks who oppose it morally never had a chance.

I forgot one hot button issue here, which is the Supreme Court election.  They're fighting over the Luzerene County(Northeastern Pa) scandle in which judges were bribed by a private juvenille detention facility to place kids with that facility.  One fifteen year old girl was given a six month sentence for making mean remarks about her school principle on her web site.

Kevin

}}}}}} How do your local elections reflect on national trends? {{{{{{

If we're having any elections today around here, I've seen no signs of it.

}}}}}} None at all?  Whereabouts do you live?   {{{{{{

Texas, and we have all our local elections in May.   Running some errands this evening, I saw that the local polling place appeared to be open, and checking online, it appears that we might have had some constitutional amendments to vote on.

The casino issue won, and so did issues two and three.

Are you talking about that congressional district in New York where the leftist named to run by the Republicans pulled out and endorsed the Democrat? <g>

>And how did that strategy of running a moderate Republican out of town work out for you in the talk radio wing of the GOP?<

So, not only do you keep insisting, falsely, that I am a member of the Republican party, but now you are saying, again falsely, that I am somehow in talk radio. Good job!