Civic Academy
How to weigh what a candidate says
D · Draft — not verified Not line-checked against the Navajo Nation Code. How we verify →
A short guide for reading or watching any candidate’s answer — the same lens for everyone. This page never judges a specific candidate; it gives you questions to carry with you.
What this is — and isn’t. These are questions to consider, offered the same way for every candidate on every topic. They are not a checklist any candidate failed, and we never score answers against them. You do the weighing.What substance tends to look like
A substantive answer usually touches some of these — not necessarily all:
- What, specifically? A named program, law, project, or first step — not only a value or a goal.
- Who does it? The office, board, or committee responsible.
- How is it paid for? A funding source, even a rough one.
- When? A sense of sequence — what comes first.
And one honest caution: “I’d have to look at the situation first” is sometimes the most truthful answer a person can give — especially on hard problems where a confident plan may be a hollow one. Don’t automatically read caution as weakness or confidence as competence. Weigh whether the person shows they know what they’d look at and who they’d ask.
Good follow-up questions, by topic
If an answer leaves you wanting more, these are fair questions to ask any candidate — at a forum, a chapter meeting, or online.
On any topic
- What specifically would you do first?
- Who is responsible for making that happen?
- How is it paid for?
- How will people know if it’s working?
Health care & 638
- Who should oversee the 638 facilities, and how?
- What would you do when patient or employee complaints surface?
- How does the federal treaty obligation stay protected as the Nation takes on more?
Government & reform (Title 2)
- What specific change to the structure would you support, and how does it pass?
- How would you work with the other branches when you disagree?
Veterans
- What service would actually reach veterans where they live?
- Who pays — the federal government, the Nation, or both — and how do you hold each accountable?
Economy, business & the Navajo Business Opportunity Act (NBOA)
- What is the first barrier you’d remove for a Navajo-owned business?
- How do you keep money circulating on the Nation instead of flowing to border towns?
The enterprises
- How should enterprise board members be chosen, and by what qualifications?
- What should happen when an enterprise underperforms year after year?
Land, grazing & homesites
- What specifically would you change about the homesite or grazing process?
- How do you protect families’ existing land use while opening land for other needs?
Education
- What can the Nation actually control across Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), grant, and public schools?
- What keeps students — and their tuition dollars — on the Nation?
The best follow-up of all: watch the interview and hear the answer for yourself — then ask the candidate your own question.
Quick check: weighing answers
Check your understanding — private, saved on this device, no grades
A candidate says: “I will fix housing.” (an invented example) What's the FIRST thing the lenses tell you to ask?
Right — a strong answer names the underlying cause and something checkable.
An answer that only promises action after a crisis is weak on which lens?
Exactly — prevention beats response.
Goes with: Did They Answer the Question? · Hidden Obstacles
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All Civic Academy lessons · Task Guides · My Civic Journey
Your voice: today’s Corner question · all surveys, by subject · the data so far.