(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.)
They bloom twice in even-numbered years. April and October arrive, and the colorful signs pop up in front yards, at major intersections, and all sorts of other places. They’re impossible to ignore as you drive to work or the grocery store. Names you’ve never seen before suddenly become familiar. As April and October progress, more of the signs join those already placed in prominent places like the hill on Danville’s east side. And when you go to the polling place, every sidewalk is lined with more of those darned things.
Everyone hates campaign yard signs – except the people who make and sell them. You’d probably be surprised to learn that candidates hate them every bit as much as you do. They’re a royal pain in the anatomy.
First, they’re not cheap. Second, you have to go through the time and trouble of finding places to put them and getting permission to do that. Some people will reach out and offer to display a sign, but it’s mostly a matter of remembering who lives on busy roads and near prominent intersections and then asking them. Then you have to put the signs up. You’ll hope it rained recently, because it can be difficult to shove those wire sign holders into dry dirt or thick vegetation.
On election eve, you need to rush out and place more signs at every polling place in your area. You’re likely to discover that your competitors have already staked out the best locations, so you’ll settle for second-best. The next evening (assuming you’re a responsible candidate), you quickly have to gather up all your signs. If you’ve won and intend to run again in four years, you’ll need to clean and store them safely.
If voters hate yard signs and candidates hate yard signs, why do we see so many of them? Sadly, it’s because they work so well. We’d like to think that the average voter takes the time to learn who’s running, studies each candidate’s positions, determines which candidate would do the best job, and then votes accordingly. The reality is that when it comes to local government elections, most voters simply punch the button next to a name they recognize.
“I don’t know much about him, but I know he has a lot of signs, so he must be good.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard some variation on that statement over the years. Does having the most yard signs mean the candidate is beloved by local residents … or does it suggest they simply bought more signs than the other guys or gals?
Most elected officials I’ve known want the public to know them by more than their yard signs. They want voters to be aware of the things they’ve done to benefit the communities they serve. But they’re well aware that when the average voter plays eeny, meeny, miny, moe in the voting booth, they’re going to punch the button for the name they recognize most.
The fact you’re reading this column suggests you put more thought into how you cast your vote than most of your neighbors. I wish more of those neighbors did the same. Frankly, though, not only do most voters know little more than a candidate’s name; they also don’t understand exactly what they’re electing them to do. But hey, if they have a lot of signs, they must be good at whatever that may be.