Three questions. One commitment. Real accountability.
Helping citizens evaluate leaders by asking three simple questions before, during, and after elections. The Three Questions Project does not endorse candidates or political parties. Its purpose is to encourage informed participation, respectful dialogue, and public accountability.
What Is the Three Questions Project?
The Three Questions Project is a nonpartisan civic engagement initiative designed to encourage meaningful conversations between candidates for public office and the people they hope to represent. Campaigns often involve speeches, advertisements, debates, and long lists of promises but sometimes three simple questions can tell us more.
- Why are you running?
- What ONE problem will you solve?
- How will the people know you solved it?
These questions encourage candidates to explain their motivation, identify a specific priority, and describe how the public can evaluate their progress. The goal is not to tell anyone whom to vote for. It is to help people ask questions, listen to answers, and make informed decisions.
Everyone Can Participate
You don’t have to be a journalist, political expert, or member of an organization to ask meaningful questions.
The Three Questions Project offers two ways to participate.
For Community Members:
- You don’t have to wait for a formal interview. A candidate may call you, knock on your door, attend a community event, or meet you somewhere in your neighborhood. When the opportunity presents itself, ask the three questions. Listen to the answers. Ask for clarification when needed, especially if the candidate identifies several priorities instead of one or doesn’t explain how success would be measured. Then share what you learned with others.
- You can join our Facebook community to share your experience, read other conversations, and encourage more people to ask the same three questions. Create a post in our Facebook Group titled “I Asked the Three Questions.” Identify the candidate, when and how you spoke with them, and summarize their answers. If you’re sharing from memory, make that clear.
For Candidates:
- Candidates are welcome to join our Facebook Group and create a post titled “My Three Answers.” Identify the office you’re seeking and answer each of the three questions. Community members can read your responses, ask respectful follow-up questions, and revisit your commitments after the election.
Why These Three Questions?
- Why are you running? Understanding a candidate’s motivation helps voters learn what drives that person’s decision to seek public office.
- What ONE problem will you solve? Asking candidates to identify one priority encourages focus and a clearer understanding of what they intend to accomplish.
- How will the people know you solved it? This question asks candidates to explain what results the public should look for and how progress can be evaluated.
These questions can be used in races for city council, school board, mayor, state office, Congress, and other elected positions.
The conversation doesn’t end on Election Day. The community can REVISIT the candidates’ responses, see what progress has been made and what challenges remain.
Join the Conversation
Three Questions. One Commitment. Real Accountability.
Better questions create clarity. Clarity builds accountability. Accountability strengthens communities.
An initiative of Ridea Works LLC.