Who should you vote for during party elections?

Let's say that you are a member of a political party and you have a vote.
Who should you vote for during party elections?

If you are contesting
If you are contesting, has the candidate promised to vote for you?
You are obliged to vote for him too.
He votes for you, and you vote for him.
Both of you get more votes than you ordinarily would.



If you are not contesting
If you are not contesting, then there are two main ways of deciding.

Way #1: By faction
If you are in a faction, then you vote for the candidates endorsed by your faction.
In the long run, the faction with more votes will dominate the party.
But sometimes, you may feel that certain candidates from the other faction are good.
In that case, you should evaluate the candidate.

Way #2: By evaluating the candidate
So, if you decide not to vote by faction, then you vote for the candidate based on his merits.

But not all candidates are created equal.
Some are incumbents.
Some are first timers.
And yet some are second- or third- attempt candidates who tried, but did not succeed before.

If the candidate is an incumbent
If he is an incumbent, ask yourself: Has he performed his duties after getting elected?
Has the candidate contributed to the party in the role entrusted to him?
If yes, vote for him.

If the candidate is a first-timer
If he is new, ask yourself if he is old or young?
Older candidates may not have another round.
You may like to give your vote to the older candidate, if you think they are good.
Younger candidates have the luxury of time -- They can come back the next round.

Also, ask yourself: Has this first-timer any track record in the party?
Has he done work to benefit the party?
If he is old, you should see all his good works.
You can find out if he has been hardworking by asking around.
If he is young, he may be waiting for a chance to do good works.
The lack of a track record does not mean that he cannot serve the party.

If the candidate is on his second or third attempt
If he has attempted before, but failed, ask yourself: Did he serve the party after failing in the last round?
If yes, vote for him. He has a heart for the party.