Watch out for red flags, regardless of who waves them.
With five weeks to go in the current election cycle, it seems a good time to revisit and expand upon a list of red flags voters should heed during campaign season.
While the hope is these thoughts are widely useful, they might specifically come in handy when reading candidate questionnaire responses at the Shaw Local election guide (tinyurl.com/Shaw2026Election). Be on the lookout for a candidate who…
Only speaks in broad statements. (“I want to lower health care costs.” You and everyone else – what’s the plan?)
Doesn’t understand jurisdiction. (“Security lines at the airport are too long!” Fair, but can the General Assembly override federal transportation authority?)
Won’t provide strategic details. (Not in terms of campaign plans, but don’t promise to repeal laws on the books without suggesting a path to get that many votes on your side.)
Seems unwilling to communicate. (Is there a campaign website or social media page? Is there a published phone number or email address? Do they or a staff member respond to basic queries? A candidate who won’t return messages might become an official unaccountable to their constituents.)
Can’t admit when the other party has good ideas. (Sound policy is worth supporting regardless of who sponsors the legislation.)
Insists government should be run like a business. (Taxpayers are not customers and profitability is not public service.)
Appears willfully ignorant. (In 2026 it’s pretty hard to have not watched the video, heard the podcast or read the reporting … especially odious is the person trying to appear apolitical upon staking a partisan stance. They either want us to think they’re dumb or hope we don’t realize it’s they who think voters are stupid.)
It’s frustrating enough to accept the reality that candidates will take liberties with facts to present current events that position them as the one to solve certain problems, but hopefully informed voters can understand the difference between typical tactics and a candidate who’s either way out of their depth or flagrantly disregarding reality to win an election.
Along those lines, it’s increasingly important to be vigilant about political messaging from outside official campaigns. Edges get pushed even with truth in advertising and campaign finance laws, but it’s becoming increasingly easier to put out fake footage that appears real or to generate social media content presented as honest opinion while being secretly paid promotion.
That’s a few hundred words we can distill to “be an educated voter,” but I’m hoping to seed thoughts that reading up on ideas is only part of the job. Analyze everything and – even better – push back and ask questions. Intelligent answers are a reasonable request.
• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.
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September 29, 2026 at 10:06AM
