During an election, every candidate talks about the future — what they’ll fix, build, protect, lower, raise, fund, cut, or defend. But you should also look backward. A candidate’s past doesn’t tell you everything, but it gives you something a speech can’t: evidence. This is especially useful when you’re comparing very different people — an incumbent against a newcomer, a community leader against a party insider, a lawyer against a teacher against a first-time candidate.
Promises are future-tense. Records are evidence.
What “record” actually means
A record is broader than a list of votes. It can include previous elected office, public votes, committee work, community service, professional experience, public statements, local involvement, promises from previous campaigns, how they’ve handled criticism, and whether they showed up before election season started.
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A record is not only what someone says they care about. It is what they have spent time, power, reputation, and effort actually doing.
Incumbents and newcomers are read differently
You can’t judge someone with ten years in office the same way you judge someone running for the first time. Each leaves a different kind of trail.
If they’re an incumbent
- What did they vote for, and against?
- What did they promise last time?
- What changed during their term?
- Were they visible in the community?
- Did they explain hard decisions?
- Did they accept responsibility?
If they’re a first-timer
- What’s their professional experience?
- Volunteer and community work?
- How do they communicate publicly?
- Is the platform serious?
- Do they understand the role?
- Can they answer practical questions?
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A first-time candidate won’t have a voting record — but they should still have a judgment record.
The Record Check Test
For any candidate, run these seven questions. They work for incumbents and newcomers alike.
What has this person done before?
Did they show up before they needed votes?
Have they handled responsibility before?
Do their past actions match their current promises?
Have they changed their position — and if so, did they explain why?
Do they understand the limits of the office they’re seeking?
Would I trust this person when the issue is difficult, unpopular, or boring?
That last one matters more than it sounds. Real governance is often boring — budgets, meetings, zoning, committee work, service delivery. Democracy isn’t always fireworks. Sometimes it’s plumbing with a microphone, and you want someone who’ll do the unglamorous work.
Where to look
You don’t need to be an investigator. A short check across a few sources usually paints a clear picture: the candidate’s official website and party page, public debates, local news interviews, their promises from previous elections, government or legislature pages for incumbents, municipal council voting records for local candidates, their social media (read carefully), community forums, and non-partisan election resources.
One warning
Don’t rely only on campaign ads. Campaign ads are designed to persuade, not to fully inform.
Flags to watch
Red flags
- Only appears during election season
- Can’t explain local issues
- Avoids direct questions
- Repeats slogans without understanding the details
- Attacks constantly, offers few solutions
- Claims credit for things they didn’t control
- Promises things outside the job’s authority
- A pattern of disrespecting people they disagree with
Green flags
- Understands the riding, city, or neighbourhood
- Explains trade-offs honestly
- Answers questions clearly
- Admits the limits of the role
- Has served the community before
- Can work with people who disagree
- Consistency between values, record, and promises
That’s the method: understand what counts as a record, read incumbents and newcomers on their own terms, run the seven questions, check a few honest sources, and watch the flags. This is the sixth step of the civic ladder — after learning how to read what they promise, you now know how to check what they’ve done. Use the worksheet below to do it on paper.
This guide is for general civic education only and is strictly non-partisan. It does not endorse or oppose any candidate. Verify candidate records through official government, legislature, and independent sources before you decide.
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