Get your ugly campaign sign off the side of the road!

The BBQ Pit
1

I am so fucking sick of this annual blight on my city’s landscape. It seems like there are more and more of these unsightly fucking things every year.

What, I ask you, is the point of these signs? All they ever feature is a candidate’s name and the position they’re seeking. What does that tell me? I should vote for this fuckwad because he has a Cajun-sounding name? I don’t get it.

Sometimes, if the candidate is at least mildly attractive, they’ll have a picture on the sign.

“Hmm, well she does have some pretty blue eyes. Dig that blonde hair, too. She’ll make an outstanding Family Court Judge!”

The only affect those signs have on me is to make me want to vote for the other guy, because any woman young enough for me to lust over probably isn’t mature enough to be sitting on the bench. (Yes, I’m talking to you, Cynthia LeBourgeois!)

There are other, non-political signs tacked up to phone poles and attached to metal stakes planted in the ground all over town. They advertise lawn care services, get-rich-quick schemes, and age 0-10 “child molester” beauty pageants, among other things.

These signs are illegal, whether the services they provide are legitimate or not. The city government realized that just pulling them down wouldn’t work; a fresh copy would be in its place within days. Their creative approach to the problem was to cover the phone numbers or other contact information on the signs with big orange bumper stickers that say “ILLEGAL SIGN.” This encourages the assholes who place the signs to take them down themselves, for fear of having their businesses associated with illegal activities.

The political signs, despite being on the same busy streetcorners as the posted illegal signs, have no bumper stickers on them. Neither do the ubiquitous “Trust Jesus” signs, but I guess that’s the subject of another rant.

Why is it okay for Ms. LeBourgeois to plant her face on every intersection in town, but illegal for Jack Often’s Lawn Care? At least Jack is providing a service and telling you what he’s about up-front.

Cynthia is basically saying “Here’s my name! Here’s my face! Vote for me!” Oh, and she also has a wonderful slogan on her signs: “For our families. For our values.” :rolleyes: If you really want to ensure that you don’t get my vote, that’s the way to do it, Cynthia!

2

I’ve also wondered about the ability of candidates to convince people to stand on street corners and overpasses on voting day, waving signs with their names on them. How exactly is this a measure of their abilities? During all the furor over Clinton’s failures in office, not once did I hear somebody speak up with, “But hey! He got thousands of people to stand on street corner and wave signs with his name on them!”

3

You’d be surprised at how many people vote with only name recognition as a factor. Particularly in local elections. Which is why these signs are effective.

Well, maybe you wouldn’t be surprised…

Anyways, if you want to get rid of simple signs with no info, get an electorate that cares enough to actually study the issues and the candidates. Good luck with that, though.

4

It’s ok for Ms. LeBourgeois to post her signs where because she’s engaged in political speech, which is granted the broadest possible protection under the law.

It’s entirely possible that the law regarding illegal signs is itself illegal, but because the city hasn’t enforced it against political speech nobody has challenged it yet in court. Signage laws are a complex area of law; basically, as soon as you make a content-based distinction (e.g. political/religious ok, commercial not ok) you run into a presumption of unconstitutionality. It’s difficult to predict what will and will not withstand scrutiny. But there are countervailing rules that say that special treatment for commercial speech is sometimes ok. So I’m not saying it’s unconstitutional, just that it might be.

Now, as to the reason for these silly signs: Most people vote without much awareness of issues. They vote for a familiar name. So the candidates advertise heavily with just the name so that people will see their names on the ballot and vote for them (for no good reason) because (sadly) this sort of advertising works.

5

What ticks me off about them is that they simply hand the damned things to campaign volunteers, telling them to go out and out them up. Choosing the path of least resistance, these volunteers simply walk down the side of the road or up the median strip, placing 20 signs in a row with about 4 feet between each one. What a freaking eyesore.

Then, of course, there is absolutely no provision made by the candidate’s campaigners for taking them down, so there they sit for months on end after the election has taken place, until the city gets bothered enough to remove them.

6

neutron star, let me reinterpret your OP.
I refuse to vote for Cynthia LeBourgeois because I have judged her solely upon her looks as to her ability to get the job done. I have made a snap decision regarding her entire platform based upon four words and I have decided that, even if Ms. LeBourgeois is the most qualified candidate I will not vote for her merely on the principal of the matter.

I mean, pardon me for leaping to conclusions here, but it seems that anyone who does such a thing probably doesn’t spend all that much time researching candiates anyway. So what harm did it cause Ms. LeBourgeois? Either you get pissed at her for gasp advertising that she’s running or you go to the polls completely ignorant of the candidate choices and don’t vote for her anyway. Either way she loses and, if she really is better than the other candidate, in both cases you lose too.

7

I know it’s just another one of those tactics that only works because people are stupid enough to let it work, kind of like using a celebrity to advertise your product. I, for one, have trouble believing Dr. Dre drinks Coors Light, but apparently it’s effective.

Thanks KellyM for pointing out the political/religious versus commercial intents of the signs. I hadn’t really considered that. I am of the opinion, however, that throwing up a “Jesus Saves” sign is an advertisement for your religion and putting up a sign for your candidate is an advertisement for said candidate.

Also, where do you draw the line between political free speech and flat-out littering? If I was running for office and decided to fly up in a plane and drop 10 million leaflets out over the city, would I be a great politician or a terrible litterbug?

8

Actually, I thought it was illegal (at least in some jurisdictions) for the campaign signs to remain up after the election. I think some places prohibit campaign signs from being up 30 days after the election.

9

I enjoy the “Vote for” signs that have seemingly grown in the middle of soy bean farms near me.
Not just a sign in front of the farm house, but HUGE “Vote for” signs, every 30 feet or so, in the middle of farmland.

Opting for the sheep vote?

10

Well, I’ve got nothing else to go on, Enderw24. Since I’m a registered voter, Cynthia actually sent me a letter. In it, she (or rather the “Youth Ambassador” who wrote the letter for her) prattled on about her charity work and how I can “make a difference” by voting for her. Her letter lists no web site for furthur reference or what any of her views are on anything.

If she gave me more information, maybe I could attack (or perhaps agree with) her views. She doesn’t. I suppose I could head on down to her “Campaign Headquarters,” a small building that used to house a McDonald’s, but now is one of those mysterious, ever-changing-hands stores. Three months ago, they sold velvet Elvises. Frankly, though, I don’t have the time or inclination to go to the headquarters of every candidate seeking every office. If they can’t make their views clear, that’s not my problem.

So what do I base my decisions on? The obvious and only things I can. Sure, maybe she’d be a terrific judge even though she’s young. However, our society seems to cling tightly to the notion that wisdom, especially political and judicial wisdom, comes with age. Right or wrong, it’s all I have to go on.

Then there’s the slogan. “For our families. For our values.” I’m sorry, but that just screams right-wing, obnoxious uber-Christian. Those are people I don’t like to vote for. Again, right or wrong, it’s all the information I have.

11

Also, Ender24w, as far as the “*gasp advertising” goes, well it just doesn’t seem fair.

One candidate pays money to put his/her picture up on a billboard. Fine. The other plasters signs up over practically every square inch of public property in the city without paying anyone a penny. It’s litter, not speech.

I have less of a problem with the walking advertisements Ethilrist mentions above. They might not be shouting about the issues or anything, but at least they’re not littering and they go home at the end of the day. The signs just stay.

12

I’d like it if there was a law stating that part of winning an office is that you only get to actually claim said office if ALL your campaign signs are removed 24 hours after the election.

13

Part of my responsibility as the planner for a small town includes being a part-time code enforcement officer. Political signs, Herbalife signs, “CASH FOR HOUSES” signs, and other “snipe signs” that are illegally placed in the public right-of-way have a lifespan of only a few hours. After the signs are pulled and disposed, I hunt down the offender … reverse directories, domain name registries, lists of those running for political office, Google, and so on. I usually have a success rate of about 80%.

I’ll then send an official nastygram from the town, which incldue a full-color picture of a huge pile of trashed Coroplast signs. Do it again, the letter says, and you’ll end up at a code enforcement board hearing. The town now has a reputation among the companies who are hired by many to slap up signs in the middle of the night; you’ll literally see the clutter resulting from liitter-on-a-stick end just before the town line.

Strangely, in recent weeks the town has been bombarded with political signs … all from JUDICIAL candidates. Two have ignored the first warning letters, and have littered the roadsides again. Our code enforcement board will have a very interesting meeting next month.

14

My nastygram, for those who are curious …

*(date)

(candidate name and address)

Greetings;

On (date) (time), (number) snipe signs advertising a political campaign you are involved in (name/political office) were found in the public right-of-way in the Town of *******.

The Town of ******* Zoning Code §16.2.3 A states that ”any sign placed on public property, including rights-of-way,“ is prohibited. This includes snipe signs seen around the Orlando area (which are illegal in most municipalities) that frequently advertise home improvement contractors, and questionable work-at-home and multi-level marketing schemes, weight loss plans, credit repair, health insurance and mortgages. The prohibition also applies to all political signs, and is impartially enforced regardless of their prospective political office, political affiliation, or ties to the community. This provision of the Zoning Code is AGGRESSIVELY ENFORCED, to prevent blight resulting from visual clutter, and preserve the town’s unique and sensitive visual environment.

Snipe signs, whether posted in the ground or on a utility or light pole, are treated as litter, and are removed and discarded immediately after they are reported or seen.

The Town will pursue formal action by the Code Enforcement Board if any more signs are posted in right-of-ways or public property in *******, to ensure compliance with the Town’s land use regulations.

Sincerely,

elmwood, AICP
Planning Director / acting Code Enforcement Officer

c: code enforcement agencies of neaby municipalities*

15

You rock, elmwood!

16

Agreed. I wish I lived in your town, elmwood.

I do have a couple of questions, though. Does your town’s law also apply to signs of a religious nature? Do most other towns lack these laws, or do they have them, but simply not expend the energy to enforce them?

Bravo on your efforts, elmwood. We desperately need more public officials like you.

17

neutron star,
I agree that if you cannot find any solid information on the candidate and if the candidate is unwilling to make it easily accessable (or just send it to you sans request), that’s not good. But while the candidate should not merely rely on the signs as the sole piece of information, it is a good starting point. It’s how you found out about Ms. LeBourgeois, right? They use those signs as name recognition. ooooh yeah…it’s time to go vote again. And now you can do a bit of research if you wish. Or not. Whichever.
But the signs, if they’re legal, aren’t really that much a problem to me.

What I still take issue with is your statement "However, our society seems to cling tightly to the notion that wisdom, especially political and judicial wisdom, comes with age. Right or wrong, it’s all I have to go on. "
That’s not all you have to go on! Your rant wasn’t about society’s perspective, but your own. Your vote won’t be society’s vote. It will be your own. So telling me it’s the only thing you have to go on means you’re just unwilling to break from the crowd.

18

For my part, I’d like legislation to the effect that if any campaign signs remain on display in public venues 96 hours after the election, the candidate must eat them.

19

Re: religious signs. There’s three different kinds that I encounter.

  1. General proselytization - “JESUS IS COMING SOON!”, “THERE IS NO AIR CONDITIONING IN HELL!”, etc. Yup, they get yanked. Usually, there’s contact information in small print somewhere on the sign. They’ll get a nastygram. There is a constitutionally recognized difference between posting religious signs and leaving them unattended, versus carrying a sign on public property.

  2. Church events. If it’s a church in town, I’ll let 'em slide the day before the event, if there’s only a couple signs out there. Any more, and they end up in the trunk. Any churches out of town … more coroplast for the pile, another nastygram in the mail.

  3. Church directional signs. These are illegal in most US cities and towns, but they’re politically tough to remove. Most were erected in the 1970s or earlier, but you’ll find new signs in municipalities that don’t enforce their sign regulations. I usually force removal of a church’s off-premises directional signs if they request a building permit or some sort of planning action. They’ll complain to the Town Commission, and my standard response is to rattle off the number of signs the church has, their locations, and then name all nine churches in the small town.
    Re: Illegality of signs in the public right-of-way. It doesn’t matter what sort of message is on the sign; in most US municipalities, it’s illegal for private parties to place signs in the public right-of-way, on utility poles, or on public property such as a school grounds or park. There are sometimes provisions to allow signs for special events, like banners over a street advertising a neighborhood fair or marathon, but those usually require special approval from the municipality’s publically elected legislative body.

Sign regulation tends to be a major nightmare for code enforcement, zoning and planning officials, and many try to put it off as long as possible. Politics might also be a factor; if the mayor’s campaign signs are appearing in the ROW, would your job be on the line if they ended up at the dump? In cities with a dominant political machine, a traditional “good 'ol boy” mentality, or no strong city manager providing a buffer between elected officials and municipal employees, there could be problems.

Worst case scenario … the place I call “the town next door,” an incorporated enclave with a citizenry consisting mainly of culturally Southern-oriented residents, most working in the mechanical and construction trades. There’s a good couple hundred political signs that are now posted in a three mile stretch of the city’s major traffic arterial.

http://www.cyburbia.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=146
http://www.cyburbia.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=149
http://www.cyburbia.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=75
http://www.cyburbia.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=157

20

Ender24w said:

A valid point indeed. I haven’t assessed the merit of society’s “old equals wise” attitude towards candidates. I honestly don’t know how to weigh experience against education or worldliness against analytical intelligence.

So what do I do? Assuming the age issue gets thrown out the window, I still have just the slogan to go on. I suppose I could call each of the candidates and request information, but I probably won’t.

I would really like to see a candidate who makes his views (not his face) known to the public. To be running a campaign of any size in this day and age without a web site is just plain crazy. It costs many times more to print up those signs to put in every nook and cranny of this fair city than it would cost to throw up a web site and even buy a domain name.

Then again, in this advertising-driven day and age, perhaps it’s in a candidate’s best interests to keep his views hidden away somewhere, available only upon request. I mean, if he has actual opinions on matters, people might disagree with them. Nobody can disagree with a name and a pretty face, because they don’t know what they’re disagreeing with, and, as is especially the case with local elections, they don’t want to dig too far to find out.

Of course, they go ahead and vote anyway because they see it as their civic duty, whether they formed their opinions from intense scrutiny of the candidates’ platforms, or from a silent face staring down from a telephone pole. Unfortunately, all too many people fall into the latter category.

elmwood, much thanks for the detailed answers to my questions. Your “town next door” looks a lot like my city. Virtually everything bad you point out in your pictures happens here. I was shuffling through some of the others in the slideshow and came upon a hilariously familiar site : “Try Our God Bless America.”

I’ve seen that and half a dozen variations on it ($2.99 Daily Special : God Bless America) in the past year. Last September, two Shell stations in town (apparently managed by the same person) put up proud messages stating that “WE ARE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN.” They stayed up for over two weeks before they were corrected.