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This article proposes a theoretical framework for the study of local voting behavior. The central argument is that salient group interests often act as political cues in local elections. The extent to which group interests influence electoral outcomes and overshadow other more traditional political cues, such as partisanship, is fundamentally related to the political context and the degree of group conflict. Analyzing public opinion surveys from three mayoral elections — New York (1989), New York (1993), and Los Angeles (1993) — this study finds that heightened levels of group conflict correspond with racially motivated voting in all three cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]