During election time, candidates in our area set their sights on prime pieces of land -- not for personal investment, but for personal use nonetheless -- our front yards. I happen to know a few of the candidates running for Mayor, City Council and School Board seats this time around; some are my friends, a couple are my neighbors and one is my son's high school teacher. As you can see, I have quite a dilemma on my hands, and on my front lawn!
Letting people know who I support seems to matter around here, and I've been approached about displaying yard signs. Political Yard Signs, as they are casually called, consist of colorful printed cardboard mounted on a slim metal frame which can be easily pushed into the soil for display. This small billboard placed in front of a home is supposed to inform passers-by who you support, and also lets the candidates know the resident's votes are spoken for.
Local Victory, a website promoting the use of yard signs, offers this observation: "... by seeing your signs in many different places, the voters will get the impression that your campaign is receiving widespread support across the district."
Getting a lawn sign can be done in a couple ways in our neck of the woods; the candidate might ask if you'll display a sign for them, or you may get one after you make a contribution to their campaign. Other signs just mysteriously appear on unclaimed parcels. Corners are especially coveted and have a cacophony of signs.
As Election Day gets closer, I start to see other innovative ways candidates stake their claim to certain areas in our community. Self-advertising with customized car window decals is both convenient and portable. The decorated automobiles are parked on very busy streets, and are periodically moved to different eye-catching locations in town.
Driving around my small community, I can't help but notice which candidate has the most signage per block -- this is part of the master plan, of course -- some homes proudly display an array of signs neatly lined-up next to their white picket fences, while others prop a few signs between their rose-bushes and hedges.
I'm a bit hesitant when it comes to accepting requests to display my allegiance as a voter, despite the customary practice, unless I can offer equal opportunity curb-appeal to all who ask. Until election day has come and gone, I guess I'll just have to forgo the meticulous landscaping in our front yard and temporarily replace it with those colorful sign displays ... by doing this, I'll keep my friends' allegiance too.
