You may have noticed that I haven't been posting the past few weeks. I have been traveling around the country and couldn't help but notice the Trump for President signs that seem to be everywhere I traveled. This isn't a post on the campaign except to consider how campaigns have changed over time. The question I have is "Do political signs have any impact on elections?" I can see the signs for races for a judgeship or the board of education race where name recognition is probably an important influence in voting but with all the information on presidential candidates why would a sign have any impact? Am I going to vote for a presidential candidate based on seeing a sign? If that is a reason to vote for a candidate for president you are a very, very low information voter.
Another influence on campaigns that doesn't hold much impact on campaigns is newspaper endorsements. The editors of newspapers have lost most of their influence as the readership of newspapers has dramatically declined over the past decade. For many people today news is something they get on the internet and through social media.
With today's extremely divided electorate the new strategy for getting elected is centered on getting your supporters to the voting booth. Putting your money into a "ground game" seems to be the most impactful use of your resources. Putting up yard signs seems like fighting the battle with yesterday's weapons.
P.S.
It seems that the Trump signs in Howard County have been defaced. Maybe our County is not as "civil" as we thought.
#hocopolitics
2 comments:
I've been totally stunned by the lack of Hillary signs in HoCo. I agree that people don't make voting decisions based on signs. But, having a large number of signs and bumper stickers in an area sends a message that "I'm a serious candidate." It kind of reassures your supporters.
I'm sure that the lack of Clinton signs is due to the fact that any money spent in Maryland is wasted; she's going to win the state. The only question is whether she gets 65% of the vote or 75%, and that does not impact her electoral vote at all. Still, with over a billion dollars at her command, you'd think she'd throw up a few signs here.
Re: Trump signs - it's long been clear to me that many people in HoCo have the view that 'you can say anything you want, as long as it's something with which I agree.' We're not always very tolerant of political speech. It's way to easy to call the other person's speech "Hate speech" and shut them down.
I'll say that my Hillary signs and car magnets go missing within days of putting them up and I'm sick of throwing my money away :(
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