Political signs bloom again
They don’t vote, they aren’t all created equal, but somehow they’re essential
Like confused daffodils that trumpet in the fall, political signs showcasing support for electoral candidates festoon our byways, poking their wobbly messages a few feet above the ground. Often clumped as if planted together, always colorful, once sprouted they don’t need care, a hardy if short-lived species.
The political adage is that signs don’t vote. Then again, there’s not a campaign I know that eschews them, from races as local as can be to governor, senator, even president.
They remind me of when my family took a ride, and us backseat kids would play a game to identify specifics along the way -- every letter of the alphabet, every number to 50, out-of-state plates. It kept us paying attention, as these signs can too.
“All men are created equal,” as our Founding Fathers espoused and candidates echo (hopefully broadening the gender), but not all political signs are equal. They fall into two categories:
Yard signs crop up on private property, affiliated with a supporter, a home, a business. These send a personal message to anyone driving by, especially those who know people at the locations: I support so-and-so. If you respect me, you should support so-and-so too.
Then there are signs that pop up in anonymous, impersonal places, epaulets decorating public shoulders, a median or rotary, an empty lot, the skirt of a busy traffic light. Anyone with enough gall and gas can plant as many of them as they can put hands on.
They are impersonal, subliminal, meant to convey and sway based on colors (blue, red, green) and design (uplifting lines, bold font).
Many more eyeballs see these than neighborhood signs, with the hope that the more of them you see, the more likely you are to vote for that person. This is meant to work like hypnosis; the name, the name, the name again, this person must be good to have all those signs, I will vote, I will vote…
There’s something cynical about this, which could be said about much of the electoral process (if you look too hard). So let’s just say they provide recognition, encouragement, and positive vibes for stalwarts.
Clumps of signs also suggest mutual support; it’s much less common to see opponents side by side than clusters of Democrats or Republicans. Maybe that helps people affiliate, either via guilt by association or what pundits call a popular candidate’s coattails.
Intellectualizing aside, political signs remain psychologically essential. I remember when former Cape and Islands Senator Dan Wolf was running years ago. There was no doubt Dan would win; in one election he got more votes than anyone running for state Senate in Massachusetts history. Yet we ordered a big batch of yard signs to quill the Cape and Islands – until a bad storm revealed that our signs disintegrated when pelted with rain.
We joked that they were biodegradable -- a good thing! -- then went out and ordered a bunch more though there was only a week or two left in the campaign. We replanted.
Then there was the candidate who became convinced an opponent was uprooting his signs, so installed a hidden motion detector/night camera at a popular spot. Sure enough, the camera caught someone who looked a lot like his opponent yanking a sign out of the ground and carrying it away. The candidate debated long and hard whether to go public with this, decided against it, and still won the election.
Many towns have bylaws that restrict political signage to a few weeks in advance of elections, some even requiring permits. I’m no lawyer (I don’t even play one on TV), but I’d wager that such government attempts to regulate or inhibit political expression are unconstitutional, and I’d gladly be a guinea pig to test that (though my home is so far off the beaten path I only get about four unexpected drive-bys a year).
Maybe there’s an argument for distinction between private property and public roadsides. Glad to ask the Supremes to sort that out, though I doubt Clarence Thomas could get even this right.
Like most blooms (except in ponds), these signs are an expression of health, especially the yard sign variety; political vitality brings them forth, with people willing to seed electoral gardens. So I’ll continue to enjoy them, leaving you with one more question:
Which has more impact, a road sign or a bumper sticker?
Don’t let me sway you, but once you’ve decided what you think, read my answer:
(Bumper stickers!)
I concur with you assessment of bumper stickers. They are long lasting, some too long and really tie the individual to their particular support or sense of humor.
A fun observation, thanks.