# Who do you contact to get a political sign for your lawn? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 3, 2008, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303 "2008-10-03T13:04:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/21 "2008-10-04T01:25:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Organizers – the people out there killing themselves to win this election – hate yard signs with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns. > > Barack Obama’s organizers hate them. John McCain’s organizers hate them. It’s because yard signs don’t vote – but they do generate a ridiculous amount of complaining that must be patiently listened to. Until yard signs sprout little legs and go to the polls on Election Day, in a presidential election with universal name recognition they are just a nice little decoration. > > They’re little feel good things, making you feel like you’re on the team. There is nothing wrong with that – that’s not the objection. The objection is that there is limited time for organizers to accomplish a wide array of prioritized tasks, and in this election they’ve chosen to prioritize identifying, registering, persuading and getting their voters to the polls. Yard signs cut into the organizer’s sleep time – literally. > > A lot of people aren’t going to like hearing this truth, but organizers recognize that the majority of people who walk into offices for yard signs are, for volunteering purposes – and this is a technical term – useless. In the majority, these people are not going to knock, they’re not going to make phone calls. Instead, they are going to throw the organizer’s incredibly precious, sleep-deprived time down a bottomless abyss of irretrievability. > > People who plant yard signs are maybe going to make their neighbors aware that they support a particular candidate, and in theory, if they live near voters who cede their opinions to peer pressure, they could theoretically be shading the influence of a vote here or there. This may be true on a national level, where everyone knows the names of the candidates and has some idea of their platforms. But for a local office, where it’s tough to even be seen through the glare of Presidential and Senatorial candidates, a yard sign in your district is very valuable. It provides name recognition, and it provides a personal endorsement from the homeowner–if they are willing to put out a sign for this candidate, they must approve. That is quite useful in a race that is much further down on the ballot, and gets hardly any coverage by the press at all. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/22 "2008-10-04T01:50:32Z")
> [@Foxy40](#): > > I find it very odd that anyone would expect those signs or stickers for free. Clearly someone is paying for them and if you can’t donate a few bucks to cover the cost, than I wouldn’t think you are as serious about your choice as you claim to be. > > However, I would say that if you volunteer your time, that is akin to donating cash and you should be handed at least a bumper sticker and yard sign. When I was a kid in the 50s and 60s, you would get compaign buttons and bumper stickers for free. Just go down to the campaign headquarters and pick some up. They were cheap and, since you didn’t have to spend millions on TV ads (which are, in essence, given to the public free), the cost of printing the material to give away was well worth it. No one in my area had any lawn signs at the time. Now, since TV ads are crucial – you reach more people – a candidate can’t waste money on signs and such. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/23 "2008-10-04T02:06:29Z")
Back when I lived in Albuquerque, even though I’ve never belonged to any particular political party, I was helping campaign for a particular Democrat running for state office. We had a list of Democrat Party members and were calling them up just to encourage them to get out and vote on election day, particulalry for this candidate, and anyone who sounded very enthusiastic we’d ask if we could send over a sign to put up on their lawn. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/24 "2008-10-04T02:40:21Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > This may be true on a national level, where everyone knows the names of the candidates and has some idea of their platforms. > > But for a local office, where it’s tough to even be seen through the glare of Presidential and Senatorial candidates, a yard sign in your district is very valuable. It provides name recognition, and it provides a personal endorsement from the homeowner–if they are willing to put out a sign for this candidate, they must approve. That is quite useful in a race that is much further down on the ballot, and gets hardly any coverage by the press at all. I was gonna say that. I’ve seen hardly any signs for either Obama or McCain\* and none of them in yards, but rather on street corners. Local races, OTOH are _everywhere_, from U S Congress down to the local Justice of the Peace. Ditto for the propositions. \*Bumperstickers are another matter, but even there I’ve noticed more old ‘W’ stickers than McCain and Obama combined. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/25 "2008-10-04T07:59:32Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > But for a local office, where it’s tough to even be seen through the glare of Presidential and Senatorial candidates, a yard sign in your district is very valuable. It provides name recognition, and it provides a personal endorsement from the homeowner–if they are willing to put out a sign for this candidate, they must approve. That is quite useful in a race that is much further down on the ballot, and gets hardly any coverage by the press at all. Right. The Obama and McCain signs won’t have much impact on individual Presidential choice, but they are very useful for coattails. The Obama sign in my Brother’s yard in Kansas City draws attention to the one for [Jay Nixon](http://www.jaynixon.com/home). ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/26 "2008-10-04T08:08:54Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > An excellent point, my friend! Thank you. > [@](#): > > I just checked my stuff. 4 out of my 5 buttons have union stickers on the back. My window sign and bumper sticker both have union bugs. Given the number of Republican candidates who seem to be running away from the Bush/Cheney legacy, the absence of Union bug is one of the few ways to tell party affiliation. > [@](#): > > Okay, here’s something I don’t understand–my Obama bumper sticker says “Move On” on it. Is it just that they can’t give money directly to the campaign? I believe I read on Wikipedia that Move On is the type of PAC that can’t advocate for a particular candidate. This is all so confusing. [According to the Wikipedia entry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moveon): _MoveOn comprises two legal entities, each organized under a different section of U.S. tax and election laws:_ [ul] [li]_**[MoveOn.org](http://MoveOn.org) Civic Action**, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, formerly known as [MoveOn.org](http://MoveOn.org), primarily focuses on education and advocacy on national issues._[/li] [li]_**[MoveOn.org](http://MoveOn.org) Political Action**, a federal political action committee, formerly known as MoveOn PAC, gives contributions to candidates across the country to advance causes in Congress and help elect selected political candidates._[/ul][/li] The second one can supply bumper stickers. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/27 "2008-10-04T13:55:37Z")
Thanks for that link and that information on yard signs, **anson**. The funny part is that the comment that the yard signs are just “feel good” things that make people feel like they’re “part of the team” is exactly the reason that not having the campaign schwag to give out is so frustrating. This is the first election in a long time where a lot of Dems feel like they _do_ want to be “part of the team” for the first time, and I personally think this is a great opportunity to capitalize on that. Make people feel like they’re important to the political process, and they’ll be a hell of a lot more likely to actually _be_ important to the political process, whether by doing the minimum (voting) or doing more, either in this election or later ones. And this includes people who can’t vote yet, such as kids and non-citizens. And thanks for the clarification of the MoveOn stuff, **gaffa**. My bumper sticker does indeed have “Political Action” in small letters under the big “[MoveOn.Org](http://MoveOn.Org).” ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2008, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/28 "2008-10-05T02:38:29Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > This may be true on a national level, where everyone knows the names of the candidates and has some idea of their platforms. But for a local office, where it’s tough to even be seen through the glare of Presidential and Senatorial candidates, a yard sign in your district is very valuable. You’re right, and I did have a brief disclaimer to that effect. Name recognition for Obama and McCain is nearly universal, but I’d guess the vast majority of folks don’t know who their state or county legislators are, let alone the challengers. In local races, name recognition is a huge part of the battle. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2008, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/29 "2008-10-05T08:19:13Z")
Interesting. I have two lawn signs - one for a City Council candidate, and one for a school board candidate, both of whom we know people who know. They both asked if we would put the signs up. Maybe my lawn is worth more, since we live across the street from a school which is a polling place, so I guess we’re prime real estate. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2008, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/30 "2008-10-20T22:59:25Z")
Just a minor update. I received my Veterans for Obama rally sign today and notice that the actually roadside signs are back ordered along with the t-shirt. I guess I will get them sometime after the election. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/31 "2008-10-20T23:16:04Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Just a minor update. I received my Veterans for Obama rally sign today and notice that the actually roadside signs are back ordered along with the t-shirt. > > I guess I will get them sometime after the election. Just stumbled on this thread: Your local dem headquarters should have them. That’s where we got ours. We also had some leftover from when my wife and I were organizing for the primaries. If you don’t want to wait, try local dem headquarters. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/32 "2008-10-29T22:34:08Z")
Well my signs arrived today. I decided to put just one out tonight as I have seen a higher incidence of vandalism this year. Now I just wonder when my T-Shirt will arrive. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/33 "2008-11-03T13:26:32Z")
… and some un-American jerk destroyed my first sign last night. I noticed as I put out my second one this morning. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/34 "2008-11-03T14:09:41Z")
Go get a McCain sign and paint over it. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/35 "2008-11-03T14:19:09Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Go get a McCain sign and paint over it. That would be just as bad. I don’t need to sink to their low and stupid level. Unlike them, I love America. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/36 "2008-11-03T16:34:32Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > That would be just as bad. I don’t need to sink to their low and stupid level. Unlike them, I love America. Just put up a hand-painted cardboard that says **“They stole my sign but they can’t steal my vote!”** ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/37 "2008-11-03T16:36:27Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > That would be just as bad. I don’t need to sink to their low and stupid level. Unlike them, I love America. Unlike them \*\*\*your \*\*\*candidate is going to win 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/38 "2008-11-03T16:39:34Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > That would be just as bad. I don’t need to sink to their low and stupid level. Unlike them, I love America. I didn’t say steal it off your neighbor’s lawn. I got in my vote today. Nobody can influence me now. They were lining up after I was done. i didn’t have to wait more than 2 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/39 "2008-11-03T16:55:07Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Just put up a hand-painted cardboard that says > **“They stole my sign > but they can’t steal my vote!”** I love this, I think I will do this tonight. > [@Phlosphr](#): > > Unlike them \*\*\*your \*\*\*candidate is going to win 😃 I’m hoping. > [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > I didn’t say steal it off your neighbor’s lawn. Oh, OK, I don’t think I could get one at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303/40 "2008-11-03T17:36:31Z")
I drove by a house in Bloomington yesterday which had an empty sign frame on the lawn with the sign punched out. Right next to it was a hand made wooden sign that said, “BARACK OBAMA: Even if you tear it down a [del]4th[/del] 5th time, we’ll still support him.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-contact-to-get-a-political-sign-for-your-lawn/466303.md?page=3)