How many of you are tired of getting bamboozled time and again? A friend called me yesterday to ask me about what’s involved in vetting (evaluating) candidates. That’s a great question because most of the people who care about our country realize that unless we start vetting candidates, we are in for one disappointment after another.

It’s possible to still be let down by the person we supported, but if we learn to vet the candidates first, there will be fewer surprises.

Here are some of the problems that make it difficult to vet candidates:

1.) They usually keep their contact information hidden. Years ago when I ran for public office for the first time, it would have been embarrassing to have an unlisted phone number. I expected my constituents to call me at home. Now, they keep their home information as a tightly guarded secret, and the only way to make contact with most of your city and school officials is to call the district office switchboard and leave voice mail. Good luck getting your calls returned.

This bothers me because if an elected official doesn’t want voter contact, he shouldn’t put his name on the ballot. They now use the staff to buffer interaction. However, the one moment when they want contact with voters is during the election season.