Methownet BB

How about this year, instead of political signs, everyone puts up signs with encouraging words or pictures of puppies or flowers?

Politics are dividing this nation more and more and has anyone really changed their vote because of a sign? I say lets put up signs that bring us together instead of point of our differences.

We could even give out a prize to the best sign! Make it valley wide, and we could go viral for bucking the trend of division and actively trying to bridge the rift.

Just an idea but it sounds way more enjoyable to me...

-Tink

My wife put up the "Coming Soon: (Arrowleaf)" colorful sign down here in Carlton along the highway :)

I'm for no political signs. Has a sign ever changed anyone's mind? Sadly. We'll have to suffer through the season because I'm sure they're already printed. Blah

If advertising didn’t work it wouldn’t be everywhere from newspapers to stadiums eg “Safeco Field”. Unfortunately political signs do the same thing; “brand recognition”. Fortunately there are regs that say they have to be taken down after a certain amount of time after the election occurs.

There’s an interesting article on NPR titled “Campaign signs influence how we vote more than you might realize”. Here’s an excerpt:
[Cindy] Kam co-authored a study in 2011 in which yard signs for a fictitious county council candidate — "Ben Griffin" — were planted on lawns on a well-trafficked street near a school. A survey was mailed out a few days later by the school's Parent Teacher Association asking respondents to list their choices for the county's at-large council seats. Five real candidates were listed along with the fictitious Ben Griffin and another made-up name.

Incredibly, nearly a quarter of respondents listed the fictional Ben Griffin among their top three picks.

It's scary to think people vote based on seeing a name on a sign. :(

You are both totally right. Advertising works and we tend to trust things we see repeatedly even with no basis to feel that way. Our minds are much more malleable than we like to believe or perhaps even know.

That being said...all the more reason to put up happy and nice things. :) It might just make someone's day better.

Just like the sign in Carleton! Thanks for putting that up!!!

-Tink