What Do Campaign Signs Mean to Voters?
Posted on November 24, 2010 by wes
Being a Part of the Campaign
People are busy. This is one of the key reasons that campaigns look to contact voters six, seven, or even eight times before an election. These quick interactions build a relationship between the candidate and the voter. On the flip side, some supporters may want to be a part of the campaign but can't volunteer because of their other commitments. What they can do, however, is publicly display their support for the candidate by placing a sign on their lawn.
Detractors argue that supporters who place a yard sign in their lawn have a false sense that they are helping the campaign as much as if they were phone banking or canvassing. Most voters understand that actively volunteering is incredibly powerful and so long as field staff explain the importance of making phone calls and canvassing, political campaigns can rest assured that the supporter understands the priorities of the campaign.
No matter whether it's a volunteer who has spent hundreds of hours canvassing, a contributor who has donated significant sums and encouraged their friends to do likewise, or someone who has agreed to place a sign in their yard these supporters are invested in the campaign. People who are invested in the campaign come through on election day and get other registered voters out to the polls as well. When volunteers, staff, or the candidate is canvassing they will encounter many people who say they will support the candidate but never actually come out to vote on election day, but people who have done something for the campaign like putting a lawn sign in their lawn will show.
Publicly Showing Their Support
Many voters are so proud of their chosen candidate that they want to take an action that publicly demonstrates their support. Putting a campaign sign in a yard is one of the few ways that an average voter can declare their support for a certain candidate for elected office twenty four hours a day, seven day a week.
A voters desire to express their support for a candidate in any form is a good thing. Perhaps they are excited because this is the first time that a candidate of their Party has had a legitimate chance of winning in a long time. Maybe the candidate is passionate about an issue that the voter is passionate about. Sometimes voters want to display a sign because they feel connected to the candidate because they share membership in a union or civic association.
In some cases, people just want to counteract the lawn signs of their neighbors who are supporting another candidate. Regardless of the reason, many supporters want to show their support with a political sign.
In campaigns, there is never enough money, volunteers, or time. Under these constraints, some campaigns do not order campaign yard signs. These campaigns discount yard signs as just another expense and a logistical nightmare. While lawn signs may be taxing for the campaigns, what's more important is what supporters think. All campaigns would agree that the couple dollars for yard sign is a small price to pay to keep a volunteer active or a contributor donating and even for a supporter to vote, so put your feet in their shoes. This is what they can give to the campaign and they are proud of their chosen candidate.
Posted in Psychology
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