Local Politics

For some reason I started thinking about something.

Do local politicians, the ones on the county level really have a platform that they campaign about? I mean I live in small rural county (I just work in Nashville) and its always the same when I go vote, each candidate runs as an independent, they don't want to risk loosing votes by actually admitting to being either a republican or democrat, and there never seems to be easily accessible information as to what they plan to do differently, or what they've done better if they are trying to keep their job, than their opponent.

It usually comes down to what seems like the campaigns for Student Council in high school, the most popular person wins*... Am I just not paying attention enough to, I don't know, whatever it is I am apparently missing? It seems like a waste, but when I go vote I either skip a category where I don't have a clue who the people are, or I vote for the person who's name I heard the most. A lousy way to pick a mayor or sheriff, but at least I can say I voted, for all the good it seems to do me.

*and don't say "of course the most popular person won, they got the most votes" you know what I mean when I say popular..