While there were cases of men poorly qualified to hold rank being elected as officers, it was far less so than among the politically appointed officers, in my opinion. The men who could elect their own Officers usually had a knowledge of those men. It wasn't necessarily a 'Popularity Contest' as many would assume. In most cases the men elected were men of character in their communities and usually had been leaders in their local militia units and in the community. But the most important thing I believe that these "elected" officers had over their men is that for the most part they had their mens respect. That alone would make up for a lot of mistakes.