Campaign Signs

Tools

By Sarah Gravlee

Story Published: Oct 22, 2010 at 7:27 PM MDT

Story Updated: Oct 23, 2010 at 2:32 PM MDT

BILLINGS - With the midterm election less than two weeks away, campaign signs are all over town.

MSU-Billings political scientist Craig Wilson said campaign signs started as little more than 8” x 10” printouts stapled on telephone poles. In recent decades, they've become ubiquitous plastic signs placed in lawns and at intersections across the nation.

"A lot of it is creating the impression you're deserving of being voted for because look how many people have your name on their front lawn," said MSU-B Assistant Professor David Weiss.

Weiss said these signs play a very important role in elections, especially in years without a presidential race. "These midterm years a lot of people don't know who's running or for what office, so one of the biggest challenges candidates face is simply getting their names known," Weiss said. "In many cases people will choose a name simply because they know it rather than choosing a name they don't know."

While yard signs are more about name recognition, research suggests certain colors invoke specific emotions in voters: red conveys love and warmth, blue appeals especially to male voters, green and brown reflect nature, and yellow and orange convey excitement.

Wilson said yard signs could be on the way out as candidates are moving toward social media and direct marketing plans like phone calls and door-to-door campaigning. "They're relatively expensive and my sense is candidates are using them less than they used to," he said.

Campaign signs cannot be placed on public property, and candidates must get permission from landowners before placing signs on their property. City Code used to mandate candidates remove their signs within 15 days of the election, but rulings in other states indicate campaign signs are an expression of first amendment rights and can stay up all year long. For 2010, city officials will not be enforcing the code to remove campaign signs.

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