Political Yard Signs Work Especially Well for Candidates with Little Name Recognition

Every now and then I will come across an article talking about how political yard signs are no longer effective. What’s particularly funny about that, though, is the fact that they are becoming more popular than ever. If there’s a neighborhood that is filled with a particular candidates name on political yards signs with no one representing their opponent, of course that poses a problem for the opponent, especially if they do not have any name recognition or are not an incumbent. In this post, we will look further into political yard signs.

For those with little to no name recognition a political yard sign with the words ‘vote’ or ‘elect’ and the position they’re running for in big letters with the candidate in even larger block letters with contrasting colors and a dark background are going to be the most effective because name recognition is the primary goal. In high profile showdowns like the contest for president of the United States, political yard signs do little good besides possibly spurring friendships, or the opposite, with your neighbors. However, in local races they really can make a difference. – in particular for the candidate who starts off less well known.

For these smaller races, like sheriff, school board, treasurer, and other city or countywide positions, political yard signs really can tip the scales at the ballot box. This happens because of something that psychologists call the “mere exposure effect”… basically the more we’re exposed to something, the more we tend to like it. Even in more high profile races where political yard signs may not do as much good, Many voters look forward to showcasing the names of their favorite candidates in their yard. It adds their voice to the voting process as well as promotes their social identity to those who have the same political leanings.