A Campaign Promise Sounds Good. What Should You Ask Next?

First, keep a record of the actual promise

Was it a written manifesto, a speech, a short video or a caption added by someone else? Save the original link and the date. If a clip quotes a candidate, look for the full statement before deciding what they meant.

A plan from an earlier election is not necessarily a promise for this one. Check the office, place and election being discussed. The Election Commission publishes voter-information answers and guidance and has warned about misleading information. For an election procedure or official notice, start with the Commission’s own publication rather than a forwarded image.

Ask what the promise would change

Here is an invented example: “Every home will get free drinking water.” It sounds clear, but several details are missing.

Does it mean a new connection, a certain amount of water each month, or a change to the bill? Does it include homes not yet connected? Who would pay for maintenance? You do not need to be an engineer to ask those questions.

Write down the answer in plain words. If two candidates mean different things by “free water,” comparing the slogans alone will hide that difference.

Check the office and the money

Ask what the candidate could do through the office they are seeking. If another authority or service provider needs to agree, ask how the candidate would work with it. Our mayor and ward chair explainer gives a starting point for that conversation.

Then ask where funding would come from. “We will seek funding” and “funding is already approved” describe different stages. If an approved allocation is claimed, ask for the document and the relevant line. Our municipality-budget guide explains how to read those figures without mistaking an allocation for finished work.

Look for a first step, not just a finish date

A deadline helps, but a date alone does not explain a plan. Ask what would happen first and what residents could check after a few months.

For the water example, an answer might identify the first area to be assessed, the work needed before connections can begin, and where updates would be posted. These are examples of useful details—not a technical design or a claim about any actual water project.

Ask what might delay the work and how the office would explain a delay. A candidate who admits a dependency gives you something specific to follow up.

Use the same questions for each candidate

Keep the comparison fair. Pick one local issue and ask candidates for the same position about the proposed work, funding, first step and public updates. Do not compare a detailed answer from one person with an out-of-context sentence from another.

If you cannot find an answer, write “not found” and note where you looked. It is a gap in your information, not proof that the person has no plan. Likewise, an old photo of a project is not enough to establish who funded it or what role a candidate played.

Keep the answer after election day

Save the source and your notes somewhere you can find them again. Later, compare the commitment with the update: what was promised, what changed, and what explanation was given?

Be precise when you share a concern. “I could not find a progress report for this commitment” is a narrower, more useful statement than an accusation you cannot support. Ask for the missing information and give others a way to check the same sources.