Political yard signs — much has been written about their effectiveness or lack thereof. These “studies” and discussions generally focus on one thing: do they actually help get a given candidate elected? From the little I’ve read, the consensus is, “Meh...probably a smidge, but not a whole lot.” Many experts seem to think signs are one of the least cost-effective ways to promote a candidate. So why do I long to put a Biden/Harris sign in my front yard? And why can’t I get one?
Turns out that I’m not the only one. Here in Waukesha County, Wisconsin — a traditionally Republican, suburban county in a critical state — over 1,000 people are on a waiting list to get signs because our local party can’t get signs. This is in addition to the almost-1,000 signs that have already been distributed (I DID get one of those; it was stolen). The volume of sign requests is beyond shocking; it is unprecedented here in Waukesha County. Our leadership has done a fantastic job of building up the Democratic Party in Waukesha County, building local networks, getting the word out, supporting local candidates, increasing visibility at local parades and other events, etc. Great! So why can’t we get signs?
It turns out that the county and state parties have no authority to print their own signs; they have to wait to receive them from the national powers-that-be. Otherwise, the local party would be cranking out signs like there’s no tomorrow. But they can’t. Because...rules. AARRGH!
Living in a very red part of Wisconsin, we are surrounded by a sea of Trump signs. Many of my neighbors have 2, 3, and even 4 Trump signs in their yards. I have no idea why, but it gives me the creeps, making me feel like my neighbors are cultists WHO ARE SCREAMING AT ME. I felt like my one lonely, little Biden sign was making a quiet, polite statement in comparison. Apparently, even that was too much for some people.
At any rate, the little Democratic network we’ve built in my community is ready to make a statement to our neighbors, in spite of our fears of trespassing, thievery, and losing the “Most Popular Neighbor” contest. Some of us don’t care what our neighbors think anymore; our democracy is at stake, for crying out loud. We’re ready to stick our necks out for Joe and Kamala. We’re ready to say, “You know, at least ¼ to 1/3 of your neighbors are Democrats. Not everybody in this town agrees with your ‘God, Guns, Trump’ sign.”
Apparently, the chief Democratic sign printer is not ready...
The good news/bad news part of this is that there is now an identifiable person in my community (and many others in Waukesha County) linked to the local party: me. And who are people calling to complain about not being able to get signs? Me. They tried calling the local party, but it couldn’t help. And they are not calling Joe Biden or Tom Perez, who could maybe actually do something about this. They’re calling me, and I feel a responsibility to help them — but I have no control over the signs.
Fine, maybe the top Dems don’t think signs matter that much because they don’t change people’s minds. But maybe the whole point of putting up signs isn’t to change minds about which candidate to vote for. Will my neighbors with the four Trump signs change their minds and vote for Joe? No way in hell. Maybe it’s about shattering the assumption that everyone who lives around here is a Republican. After all, we live here because we have a lot in common. We love living in a semi-rural area, surrounded by open land. We love animals. We love the outdoors. I want my neighbors to ask themselves, “She’s been a good neighbor. She actually waves at me. And she likes a lot of the same things I do. So how can she be a Democrat?”
And perhaps there are a few fence-sitters who’ve known me for years and respect me as a good neighbor. They don’t have any signs up, but just maybe...
And you know what else? It makes me feel better. It makes me feel like I’m DOING SOMETHING to help. And when I see other Biden or Palzewicz or Polack sign, I feel less alone — I feel that I’m part of a community of people who share my values. Four years ago, I promised myself that I would do more than I did in 2016. It turns out that a lot of people feel that way. In the past four years, I’ve gone from being the person who gets called and asked to volunteer to being the person who asks others to volunteer. One thing I’ve learned is that every volunteer has a different comfort level with what and how much he or she wants to do. Not everyone is going to work on a campaign, or make phone calls, or canvass, or sponsor an event. But if you can help people find that one thing they want to do, and they do it, they feel better — because they’re doing more than they did in 2016.
For a lot of people, that means donating $10 to the local party and putting up a yard sign. If you live in a very red area, that’s a big deal. Once you stick that sign in the ground, you’ve made a courageous statement to your neighbors about what you believe, baring your soul to the world. And because of that, you feel better. You feel like you did something. More than what you did in 2016. And you’re not alone; you’re part of a community. Maybe you’ll do even more next time!
Yard signs. Do they work? Don’t know. But they make me feel better. They make me feel like I’m doing something, more than I did in 2016. They make me feel like I’m a part of a bigger community of like-minded people. So...where the hell are they?
