Lawn sign
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lawn signs are one of the most visible features of an election campaign in some countries. They are small signs placed on the lawns of a candidate's supporters. Signs are also often placed on lamp posts and larger signs may stand next to busy intersections. Lawn signs are often also placed near polling places on election day, although in most jurisdictions, there are legal restrictions on campaigning within a certain distance from a voting facility.
Lawn signs are considered an important element of any local campaign. They are a cheap and effective method of making a candidate known in their district. As a rule of thumb it is said that each lawn sign in a district represents six votes. A campaign's field staff are usually responsible for coordinating a campaign's lawn signs.
In the United States, lawn signs are often far more expensive than more effective means of campaign advertising, with each well-produced sign and wicket running between US$2-5. Most professional campaign staff despise this practice, and the notion that "Lawn signs do not vote" is commonly repeated in strategy meetings and tactical discussions.[citation needed] They are considered by most professional staffers to be "chum," items produced by the campaign that have little value other than to appease supporters.[citation needed] In many other nations, however, lawn signs are given away for free, resulting in a much wider circulation. By contrast, in Canada, which has very different campaign finance laws that put strict limits on media advertising, winning the "sign war" is considered an essential part of a successful campaign and a significant portion of a camapign's resources are dedicated to this end.[citation needed]
Lawn signs generally contain the name of the candidate, their party, and the office they are running for. If a candidate is an incumbent the sign will usually say so. Extras like slogans or the date of the election are sometimes added; these tend to distract the viewer from the main message, however. Symbols of the party are also popular. Whether a sign should have the photo of the candidate is an important concern. An attractive photo can lead voters to identify with the candidate; on the other hand, signs with photos are usually more expensive to produce, and are far more likely to be vandalized, which can have a negative effect. Most signs also have a notice stating who paid for it, but it is usually in small text that is much less noticeable. This notice is often required by campaign finance laws.
To draw the attention of passersby, lawn signs feature bold, high contrast colours and large fonts. The colours are usually those of the candidate's party. Choosing colours is important: white signs do not work well in winter, and green signs on lawns will be far less visible. Generally, it is important not to pick the same colours as an opponent. However, there may be a value in creating confusion especially for a challenger.
Fringe parties often do relatively better in lawn signs than more centrist parties, mostly because they tend to have more dedicated supporters.[citation needed]
