A telephone survey of voters participating in Lexington, Kentucky's 1985 nonpartisan city council races identified the determinants of the vote. In the absence of partisan cues or extensive media coverage, the local electorate focused primarily on candidates' personalities, background characteristics, and concern for the district. Ideology and name recognition also predicted the vote. Voters' perceptions of office seekers were shaped though contacts with friends and neighbors, volunteers, and campaign literature. Once other variables were controlled, newspaper endorsements had neither a direct nor indirect effect on the voting decision.
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