I am so glad you said this ! There is a representative from our district who was elected as a Independent but he is part of the coalition and every action he has taken the last two years has been with the Democrats. He attends Democratic meetings and stays in contact with the local party here. 
I do vote based on the person, ignoring as much as possible the party affiliation. 
I think doing away with the two party system or creating a number of parties is the best way to break up the corruption that thrives in both of the two parties. 
In a sparsely populated state like Alaska we are fortunate to have the opportunity to "know" who the folks are that are running for election and to know them after election. 
The recent election is a great example of how "party politics" results in having two candidates that gave voters very little choice.