It happens every couple of years, depending on where you live. It’s almost like they grow quicker than dandelions and they’re harder to avoid because they spring up everywhere, in huge patches. You might even have a few in your own yard. It’s the attack of the political yard signs!
Local and sometimes even state and federal candidates do not have very many effective ways of getting their message out to voters. They need a method that’s inexpensive because all political campaigns run with a tight budget. They also need a way to advertise that’s reliable and proven over the years. Every year there are changes and new techniques, but political yard signs are not going away any time soon. They offer a lot of advantages with almost no down sides.
One of the major advantages offered by lawn signs is cost. Candidates can order them in bulk and get them at a very reasonable price compared to other types of advertisements such as radio and television. And signs, depending on how they are designed, can be reused from campaign season to season if they are picked up and stored for the next time around. Another advantage is easy distribution. It is easy for a campaign volunteer to throw a hundred signs into the back of their car and hand them out at rallies, around neighborhoods, and to other supporters.
Because of the inexpensive cost, it is easy to saturate an area with the signs, which also works for the candidate’s advantage. Seeing the candidate’s name written countless times will hopefully make that name jump out on the ballot and inspire the voter to select it. Even if they do not know much about the candidate himself, name recognition is a major advantage that comes from political yard signs.
A lot of average citizens have a hard time deciding who to vote for. They see the ads on television and radio but know that thirty-second sound bites do not really give a good enough idea of how the person will act in office. Sometimes they might even feel cynical that all the candidates are more or less the same. A very major component about choosing a candidate is often who everyone else thinks will be good, especially if the citizen has someone in the neighborhood whom they feel is knowledgeable about the candidates and will make good choices. In that case, political yard signs are extra effective because they convey to everyone driving by who that person is voting for and that can definitely convince someone undecided to swing that candidate’s way when it comes to the voting booth.
