Political signage

[maestrowork]

There's only one month to go. I remember by this time in 2004, I saw a heck lot of signs everywhere. But not so much this year. How about your neighborhoods?

Granted, I live in a relatively liberal neighborhood (college campus, artists, teachers, doctors, etc.). But in 2004, I'd say it's a 70/30 split between Kerry and Bush. A lot more people were driving with Kerry/Edwards bumper stickers, however.

I just drove around the neighborhood and noticed that there was not one McCain/Palin sign. The people who put up Bush/Cheney in 2004 haven't put up any signs at all -- either they're voting for McCain but don't want to advertise, or they haven't decided yet. On the other hand, only 6 in 10 houses have signs out, so the support for Obama is not overwhelming either. I did, however, see a few McCain/Palin bumper stickers.

[WendyNYC]

No yards here, but I see a lot of Obama buttons.

That shouldn't be a surprise coming from NYC.

[shawkins]

Nowhere near as many McCain signs/stickers here in GA as there were Bush signs/stickers in '04.

The occasional Obama stickers always, well, stick out, but they're vastly outnumbered.

[robeiae]

I have a McKinney sign in my front yard.

I believe it's caused three traffic accidents so far...

[justme]

Not a lot of signs here. A few Obama bumper stickers.

[Captshady]

There's only one month to go. I remember by this time in 2004, I saw a heck lot of signs everywhere. But not so much this year. How about your neighborhoods?

Granted, I live in a relatively liberal neighborhood (college campus, artists, teachers, doctors, etc.). But in 2004, I'd say it's a 70/30 split between Kerry and Bush. A lot more people were driving with Kerry/Edwards bumper stickers, however.

I just drove around the neighborhood and noticed that there was not one McCain/Palin sign. The people who put up Bush/Cheney in 2004 haven't put up any signs at all -- either they're voting for McCain but don't want to advertise, or they haven't decided yet. On the other hand, only 6 in 10 houses have signs out, so the support for Obama is not overwhelming either. I did, however, see a few McCain/Palin bumper stickers.

Go down I-79 east towards I-70. You'll see plenty of McCain signs.

[Don]

We drove from upper Michigan to Louisville, Kentucky two weeks ago.

Obama signs - 1
McCain signs - 1
Ron Paul signs - 4

I don't make up the facts, folks, I just report 'em. :)

[whistlelock]

I still see a lot of Ron Paul signs.

[Jenan Mac]

There's still two Paul signs within a couple of miles. A lot of Obama bumper stickers, not many McCain ones. Though the McCain ones I see are ginormous, like they're having to compensate for quantity or something. My neighborhood has mostly branched out more into issues signs-- "Save Darfur", "Not On My Watch", "Vote No on Issue 2", that kind of thing.

[Snowstorm]

Good question, maestro. I've seen fewer signs too than past years. The bulk of signs are Obama signs (amazing since Wyo. is a predominant Rep state). The others are Ron Paul. Hmm. Now that I think about it, no McCain signs.

[mscelina]

I'm thinking that neither party wants to be accused of killing trees. I could be wrong, but that's my take on it.

[Don]

I'm thinking that neither party wants to be accused of killing trees. I could be wrong, but that's my take on it.
Old meme. The new signs are plastic. Wasting oil, I suppose, would be the new meme.

[Jenan Mac]

I think the real reason behind their scarcity is because you used to be able to get them for free, and now the parties are charging for them. $5-10 bucks each, I think.

[Ken]

...no room for signage.
Homeowners lawns are already too cluttered with for sale signs.

[Dawno]

I drive past a house on the way to the Post Office now and then and the car out front is covered with Howard Dean bumper stickers...

Most of the election yard signs here are for the local city council. I don't recall seeing an Obama or McCain recently, but I don't get out much...

[mscelina]

Old meme. The new signs are plastic. Wasting oil, I suppose, would be the new meme.

I'm in rural Ohio. We'uns use paper here.

But you're probably right. And if the campaigns are charging for signs who would bother? They're a bloody nuisance anyway.

[Jenan Mac]

But you're probably right. And if the campaigns are charging for signs who would bother? They're a bloody nuisance anyway.


And they get stolen. Given we're on a side street in a heavily one-sided precinct, the return's not worth the investment.

[Joe270]

I think the real reason behind their scarcity is because you used to be able to get them for free, and now the parties are charging for them. $5-10 bucks each, I think.


I'm thinking you might be correct. There seem to be very few signs out there. I wasn't in Vegas for the last election, so it could be a local thing. I'll be back in Texas in a couple weeks, so I'll take a gander there for comparison.

I've seen quite a few Obama signs, but they're not really yard signs. These are cheap paper things that have faded so much in the desert sunlight that they aren't really legible any more, but you can still tell that design so you know what it is.

I still see lots of Ron Paul signs.

I'll try to get a bit of a count next week, but right now most of my properties are in the poorest areas of town, so I figure they'd be mostly democrat. Still, it might be interesting.

Maestro, very observant. This could be a very interesting thread.

[Alpha Echo]

You're right. I've seen a few McCain bumper stickers and a few Obama stickers. No signs in the front yard though. At all.

[tiny]

Not a lot of signs, but all have been McCain/Palin here in my area.

[Sweetlebee]

Interesting topic. I haven't seen any signs except for local elections. Maybe with all the vitriol in this election, people don't want to open themselves up to being egged.

[Lyv]

Great question. And now that I look around, it's eerie. There are no signs anywhere in my neighborhood. That's unusual. Probably two-thirds of the homes on my street, and about that many on surrounding streets, usually have signs out.

I don't even see many bumper stickers, though I'd say out of the few I see, Obama's got an edge.

[donroc]

I see only a few local politician signs, but the usual number of political stuff in my mailbox and spam sector.

[Ali B]

Most of the signs here are for local candidates.

[benbradley]

Nowhere near as many McCain signs/stickers here in GA as there were Bush signs/stickers in '04.

The occasional Obama stickers always, well, stick out, but they're vastly outnumbered.
I heard a couple months back Obama basically "pulled out" of Georgia (and several other states) because they're heavily enough for McCain it's not worth the effort. And of course it makes sense to campain mostly in the disputed states.

On the highway out here there's two of those huge advertising signs, one above the other. The top is Obama, the bottom one has a phone number to call to advertise on it.

I have an Obama button and bumper sticker in the glovebox of my car, given to me (well, she handed some out to a few people, I looked sorta interested, she offered and I accepted) after the service by someone at the <denomination and location deleted> church. I wonder if it could be worth something someday. I know there are people who collect political memorabilia (there are people who collect most anything).
I have a McKinney sign in my front yard.

I believe it's caused three traffic accidents so far...
I wonder if I put a Bob Barr bumper sticker on my car, if they'd stop talking to me at the church.

[donroc]

Speaking of signs, no one has mentioned before that the Obama/Biden signs have Biden in smaller and paler letters while McCain/Palin are equal. Says much about one's ego.

[Lyv]

I didn't mention it because none of those I've seen are that way, donroc. Most I've seen have Biden's name is in different font and darker script, and either the same size or only a little smaller. I can find some pictures if you want.

I like the subliminal message having them in different fonts sends. That they aren't clones of each other, that Obama picked someone who might challenge him. Nothing wrong with the same font and size. Sends a message of a united front.

[donroc]

:Shrug:

[OneTeam OneDream]

I see a 50/50 split in Obama vs. McCain signs here in Virginia. (Maybe some more after today, Biden is speaking downtown today) However, there are very, very few signs compared to '04. Most of the political bumper stickers I see are either local Republican candidates OR negative Bush stickers (IE: Jan 20, 09 "The End of an Error" etc.) Very few Obama stickers, I've seen lots of Palin references on stickers, but very few McCain or McCain/Palin.

Literally 0 Obama/Biden. Some Obama, but the ones without Biden.

[maestrowork]

I went around the neighborhood again today (about 1 mile radius), and this time, I counted about 26 Obama/Biden yard signs and 2 McCain/Palin -- that's 2 more than before.

[Zoombie]

The only sign I've seen is "Vote for John Mackenzie for city Council"

Which makes me think of Dies the Fire. Which makes me sad.

But there are a lot of "Rock the vote" stickers. Including one on my laptop. Its less of a specific focus and more of a "just please vote, you young whippersnappers."

[maxmordon]

We have always admired how you people take off the signage after the election while ours stay there for years and years until they are teared apart of the weather or someone needs to paint over; last time I travelled outside my region I even saw some political ads for the election of this guy:

http://www.laguia2000.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/presidencia-de-carlos-andres-perez.jpg

[clintl]

We have always admired how you people take off the signage after the election while ours stay there for years and years until they are teared apart of the weather or someone needs to paint over;

That's because candidates are required here to clean up their litter after the election.

[C A Winters]

If I could find an old Al Gore sign, I would put it on my front lawn for fun.

[Danger Jane]

I've been out of Massachusetts for about a month now, but I don't remember seeing a single sign in a single yard, at least not for anything but a local election. Bumper stickers I have noticed, about 70/30 in favor of Obama.

Then there's the Ron Paul car. I used to see it cruising around nearby towns: two Ron Paul bumper stickers under the headlights on the bumper, two under the taillights on the back bumper, and a huge Ron Paul sign in the back window.

[maxmordon]

That's because candidates are required here to clean up their litter after the election.

Samething here, theorically... but the truth is that the first ones to break the law are the candidates...

[Inkdaub]

I got signs in my hood but they're mostly about local politics. There are some presidential signs, though, with the majority being Obama.

[brainstrains]

I am in Bucks County PA. I counted 3 Obama signs on the way to work, and 12 McCain/Palin.

[johnnysannie]

Lots of signs in my area, even within my neighborhood. Since this area is normally a diehard Republican stronghold, there are many McCain/Palin signs but also a surprising number of Obama signs. I have actually seen more Obama signs than I have for other Democratic presidential candidates in recent years.

I have pro-Obama bumperstickers on my car and have for months; I don't have a yard sign yet because I haven't had time to either visit the local Dem headquarters or order up one online. When I tried to online, they were sold out at that moment.