To all the Registered Democrats...

[Virginia Dare]

I read a post yesterday from someone who stated that they would be voting a Democratic ticket from top to bottom in November, and it got me thinking....

I worked on my first campaign for a Democrat while I was still in High School. In the 20+ years that I have been voting, I've never been able to bring myself to vote for a candidate from another political party.

I've held my nose a few times, and there have been times when the Republican candidate was running unopposed, so I just didn't vote that ticket.

I'm just curious about the experiences of others out there, have you ever voted for a candidate from another political party, and if so, what were the circumstances?

[The Magistrate]

1. Once, Ma'am, A Long Time Ago

The Democratic candidate, one "Mad Dog" Eddy Hanrahan, had been involved in the murder of radicals in the late sixties, and it was simply impossible to assist even in a small way his election....

[TechBear_Seattle]

2. I always vote candidate, not party

In most cases, that has been for the Democrat, but there have been exceptions.

I voted for a Libertarian in both 2000 and 2004 for Lieutenant Governor; both of their platforms were extremely simple: abolish the office. The Washington State constitution makes the essentially ceremonial office optional and gives the Legislature power to eliminate it with a simple legislative act. Both ran with the intent to sponsor such a bill and have the $900,000 annual budget of the Lt. Gov. returned to the General Fund. (The one and only official power of the Lt. Governor is to preside over the state Senate. In most cases, that is actually done by a pro tem. The large budget is to support a staff and to work unofficially as a diplomatic substitute for the Governor.)

I voted Green for Secretary of State in 2004, as all of the major parties (in Washington, they are Dems, Repugs and Libertarians) were supporting the abolition of our then current primary system and refused to support any kind of tracking system in our elections (all had accepted major contributions from Diebold.) Only the Green candidate supported a primary that did not exclude independents and minor parties, and was insisting on preserving an open and publicly audited election system.

[w8liftinglady]

3. I have never voted for a republican-Libertarian,yes.

[BOSSHOG]

4. I voted for Gerald Ford in 76 when I was 22

I thought he was an honest person and believed that his handling of the Nixon pardon was best for the country at the time. I have never voted for a republican for anything since nor I believe I ever will.

In other words, I don't know if I'll always vote for a democrat but there is no doubt in my veteran head that I will never vote for a republican.

[mcscajun]

5. I voted for John Anderson for President in 1980

Beyond that, I don't recall who they were or what races, but I also voted for some NYC offices, even NY statewide ones, on the Liberal Party line when the same candidate was on both the Democratic and Liberal tickets. I might have even voted Green once or twice here in NJ, but never in Presidential elections.

I've never voted for anyone on the Republican ticket.

[A Brand New World]

6. Actually, yes, I voted for McCain in the 2000 primary. Not because

I liked him, but because I hated * so much. I am of course a registered Democrat and in order to vote in the Ohio Republican primary, I had to declare as a Republican. The most slimy feeling ever, but my hatred of * had no boundaries. I didn't realize I was changing my affiliation permanently until I started receiving all sorts of Repub propaganda and phone calls. I checked with the Elections board and was told I could not change back til the next primary. That year was awful just knowing that I had an "R" beside my name!!! And then the strategy didn't even work. UGH!!

[Virginia Dare]

15. I thought about doing that last year as well..

here in Virginia anyone can vote in the primaries, and I seriously thought about going in and voting against the Chimp. I guess I should have.

[HamdenRice]

7. I often vote Green in NY in a safe race or hopeless race

The purpose is to help the Greens stay on the ballot. NY has a weird rule that if a party receives 50,000 votes, it doesn't need signatures to get on the ballot for the next four years -- or something like that -- so the Green's often ask Democrats to vote for them not so they will win, but so they stay on the ballot.

For example, I voted for Grampa Al Lewis for governor in 1998 and Grandpa received just enough votes to get the Green Party listed.

You have to keep in mind that I live in one of the bluest -- if not bluest -- congressional district in the US. I don't have the stats handy, but I once saw electoral figures that showed that in my congressional district the Democratic candidate received a percentage of the vote in the high 90s, and republicans got fewer votes that the Greens and Socialist Workers' Party.

[TechBear_Seattle]

8. New York election laws are odd

Isn't NY the only state that allows cross-over voting, ie if a party does not get enough votes to win, they can give their votes to another candidate in the same race?

[HamdenRice]

10. not sure about that one ...

ie, the cross voting thing. Most of the oddities are designed to allow party-controlled judges to keep challengers off the ballots, especially through petition signature challenges.

That's why it is so important for small parties to reach the 50,000 mark.

[ieoeja]

9. I voted for Poppy Bush twice.

My presidential votes:

Year - Primary - General
1980 - Bush - Carter
1984 - Glenn - Mondale
1988 - Gore (I think) - Bush
1992 - Clinton - Clinton
1996 - Clinton - Clinton
2000 - Gore - Gore
2004 - Dean - Kerry

As you see, I haven't had much luck picking winners in the primary. Clinton was pretty easy. By not following Gary Hart's example in 1988, Clinton showed the kind of mettle many of us require for a presidential candidate. That's right. I voted for Clinton BECAUSE of Gennifer Flowers. Or rather, because of his "yeah, I fucked her" response.

In 1988, I was one of the many who supported Hart even after he was photographed with a woman sitting in his lap (THAT derails your campaign?!?). And I was one of the horde who dropped that support when Hart jumped back into the race because his dropping out of the race (over THAT?!?) made him appear too weak to lead this country.

[LetsGoMurphys]

11. Local candidate that was a personal friend, thats it n/t

although I like to think I keep an open mind about candidates. It's just that the republicans tend to be republicans.

[AbbyR]

12. Once

I say I always vote the candidate, and most of the time, it's a Democrat. But in one congressional election, a person who was known to be dishonest and a thief ran against a repub. I voted for the repub because I couldn't vote for the dem in this case. I since voted against him, and he's out of office.

[SaveElmer]

13. Yes...once...

I voted for John Warner here in Virginia the year he was unopposed. At the time he had occasionally bucked his party on some issues, and seemed like a stand-up guy.

Other than that I am pure!

[Hell Hath No Fury]

14. I have been registered a Democrat....

since I could first vote.

With that said, I have voted third party several times.

I have voted Green in a mayoral election and several senate elections -- I felt they were the better candidates for the job. I even voted for the Republican against Feinstein once -- it was a protest vote against her unwillingness to bother to campaign for her job.

[GreenPartyVoter]

16. I have voted for Greens, Socialists, Dems, Indys, and moderate Repubs

depending on the race.

[Virginia Dare]

18. Where do you live?

We're lucky if we get a Libertarian on the ballot, and they're usually wack-jobs. I take it by your handle that you're not necessarily a Registered Democrat?

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. Maine, and not a registered Dem, but I vote Dem by default if

there's no other option and when the Dem is the best candidate. So we get a few occasions to vote for a smaller party or indy candidate, but usually it's just the big two on the ticket in a lot of races.

[BeachBuckeye]

17. one time in a local election my brother-in-law

ran for county engineer. I pulled the lever for him. He is now an ex-brother-in law so I regret even that one time I voted for a Republican. Never again.

[GreenPartyVoter]

20. I once wrote my dad in on a ballot. No regrets there, though. *g*

[Proud Liberal Dem]

21. Richard Lugar

I've voted for Richard Lugar before for US Senate. I have generally thought of him as being one of the few "reasonable" Republicans left in the Senate. He seems to be genuinely concerned with finding bipartisan solutions and I applaud his efforts to help secure nuclear arsenals around the world(something that Bush and Chertoff SHOULD be but AREN'T doing more of) but during Bush's presidency, he seems to have become more concerned, as have MOST Republicans, with putting party loyalty above the people he is (supposed to be) representing. I believe that he is coming up for re-election soon. I'm not sure if I'll vote for him again. It may depend on whether the Democrats here put anybody worthwhile up against him. If you think the national Democratic Party is weak and ineffective, you ain't seen nothing yet until you've seen Democrats here in Indiana (with the exception of Julia Carson). :(