10/18/2026
4 Way Test
Don’t forget to vote, if you haven’t already done so.
Early voting by mail or in person is available to all
registered voters up until the polls open on Nov3.
If you don’t know who to vote for, my suggestion is
to apply the Rotary Four Way Test to the candidates
to assess their match with Rotary’s values.
The Four Way Test is an objective that committed
Rotarians try to live by. None of us is perfect so we
should not expect every candidate in the election to
meet the criteria of the Four Way Test in every
respect. Compromises have to be made or we will
end up rejecting all the candidates and not voting at
all!
1. Is it the truth?
Does the candidate always tell the truth, and does
their party or organization try to be truthful? Some
politicians care little for the truth and are apt to lie
about almost anything.
2. Is it fair to all concerened?
Are the policies of the candidate and their party or
organization applied fairly across the population of
the United States or their locality, or do they favor
one economic group over others?
3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
Are the policies of the candidate and their party or
organization likely to produce conflicts within society
by setting one group against another, or bring people
together for the benfit of all?
4. Will it be benificial to all concerned?
Under the policies of the candidate will everyone
lead better lives economically, be healthier and be
happier. Or will they struggle to pay their way, be
unable to pay for health care, and worry about what
the future may bring? Will one group within society
benefit more from the candidate’s policies than other
groups?
Tim Pratt
Editor, The Handshake
