As we near election day every two years, political yard signs sprout more and more effusively in urban windows and suburban yards. “Vote for So-and-So” announces to the world—well at least whoever passes by your house—what you believe in and what you’d be willing to fight for. Your ideology for all to see. Is this an effective way for the candidate to campaign and is it a good idea for you to bare your political convictions in today’s angry world?
Patch Media, the local newspaper platform, asked readers from around the country what they thought about the issue and while there was a range of opinion, a few stood out for their popularity.
First off, are they effective campaign tools? One Patch reader wrote, “Campaign mailings, constant ads and signs all over no longer cut it…Online information and research is where the truth is. …” It’s interesting to note that this reader is optimistic enough to believe that “the truth” can be found either on a yard sign or online. Another reader advises that “you might want to spend some time researching the candidate” instead of relying on a yard sign to make up your mind.
A couple doubted their ability to change anyone’s mind and noted that they’re pointless and also useless in the era of social media. Additionally, they’re “unnecessary and wasteful.”
But what about whether it’s a good idea for you to display one on your property? The most important point was made by a Middletown (New Jersey) Patch reader who thinks that political signs make for bad neighborhood relations.
“In principle, I’m fine with political lawn signs. Freedom of speech and all that,” she wrote. “But in the current divisive political climate, I think these signs just exacerbate the animosity between the sides.”
She asks, “do they just serve to pit neighbor against neighbor?”
This is an excellent question, because at a time when the country is so polarized and all restraint seems to have gone by the wayside, do you really want to expose yourself to the anger of anyone who might disagree with you? “In a particularly charged political climate, posting signs may even be seen as an invitation to conflict or property damage.”
Another Patch reader said that although our nation’s voting system is based on a secret ballot, political signs can welcome “divisive rhetoric between friends and neighbors.” “It shouldn’t, but it does,” she wrote. “Religion and politics should never separate friends and family.” Indeed, rules of etiquette have long advised against talking about politics or religion at the dinner table. It’s a good idea to extend this beyond the table and into your yard.
Some Patch readers said that displaying a political yard sign is the equivalent of inviting passersby to “Please Vandalize My Property”.
“I would never show my politics at my home,” a Dublin (California) Patch reader emphasized. “These days, there are too many crazy people on both sides who would vandalize homes.”
The vandalism angle seems to be quite common and that should tell us a lot about the social climate of this country.
All in all, yard signs seem to be ineffective for candidates and bad for neighborhood relations. “Well,” a Lansdale Patch reader observed, “it’s one way of knowing the kind of neighbor you have” and “whom to avoid.” But we have to wonder whether political alignment should be a determining factor to establishing neighborly relations.
A reader from Sachem (New York) elaborated: “when I see a house that’s got like 40 signs all over — that tells me to stay clear” adding, “That goes for both sides of the political spectrum, by the way.”
