Does anyone actually like the political signs?

Submitted by IoTPanic t3_yqrgtu in Maine

Another year, another election, you know what that means! Time to get those political signs everywhere right?

Well, it's the day after election day, and it seems most roads I drive by now are just littered with bits of plastic, metal, and various signage which looks horrible. Maybe my experience is an outlier, but I have never once seen someone picking up their signs after the fact, and usually they just stay until a sea-breeze hauls them away.

I'm also disgusted by the behavior of people placing the signs, I noticed multiple occasions where gentlemen in big trucks stop by someones house, stake their LePage signs (I'm not making any sort of political statement here, only describing my experience.) then run away laughing with a big grin on their face, reminiscent of different cringe anime UWU clips.

Does anyone actually want this? Why don't we consider placing these signs anywhere but on your own property littering? Shouldn't we just take them all down unless the property owner placed them? Why is this allowed (or at least tolerated) on public land?

Have these signs ever changed your mind in any way?

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Comments

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siebzy t1_ivprwr0 wrote

I personally agree that they shouldn't be allowed on public right of ways or green spaces (medians, public sidewalk green strips, etc)

Research has been done on the effectiveness of signs, and at most the impact is very small (and the signs aren't super cheap to print, and are labor intensive to distribute). Some studies have actually found that signs are a net detractor because they take away resources from other types of outreach.

All that said, old people in Maine really love the damn things and I don't see that changing soon.

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siebzy t1_ivps2ae wrote

Oh and candidates love them. They love driving around town and seeing their name everywhere, it gets them aroused.

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IamSauerKraut t1_ivqurf1 wrote

Signs on public ROW's and public green spaces is protected by the 1st Amendment.

Campaigns are allowed to spend their funds on whatever outreach materials they would like, including signs, without needing the approval of tongue cluckers. Folks that do not like them do not have to put them on their own lawns.

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siebzy t1_ivrpjow wrote

I disagree with that interpretation of the first amendment in this case, and that's fine! Doesn't change anything

Sure, campaigns can spend whatever they want - I can also come on the internet and call them vain idiots if I want.

I can also be pissed that they litter our roadways and public spaces.

What was your point again?

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daisakai42 t1_ivq1pw3 wrote

I like them only for the fact they tell me what people / businesses not to associate with.

Otherwise they are obnoxious and I don’t understand how they think a sign is going to sway someone’s vote.

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New_Sun6390 t1_ivqbx8y wrote

By law, they are only supposed to be up for a six week duration. They are also supposed to have a name and contact info on them so that if they are up past six weeks, there is someone to call to have them removed.

Of course there is zero enforcement of this.

I am just glad to be rid of the TV ads and mailers.

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IamSauerKraut t1_ivquv8y wrote

Those rules only apply to signs that are in public spaces.

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IoTPanic OP t1_ivr5se3 wrote

That's what this entire thread is about, the obnoxious number of signs in public spaces, and which are put on other peoples property, along with the obscene amount of trashy litter. Can you please read my post and New_Sun6390's reply more clearly instead of reading the title and then commenting on everyones reply making sure we know the people on the signs like it?

We know you like it, we know some boomers like it, you should read the comments. Why don't you do something productive like help clean up all the trash you helped generate?

EDIT: included the litter part.

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IamSauerKraut t1_ivrkdq1 wrote

Ironic you complain I did not read everything you want me to read but you have no issue with you not reading what I wrote.

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IoTPanic OP t1_ivrlpbu wrote

Trust me I read every one, and it's ICONIC rather than ironic you want to be a leader, yet you'd rather litter our beautiful state by supporting your signage in public spaces, rather than reaching out to the communities in more productive ways.

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IamSauerKraut t1_ivrm7ae wrote

You do not like yard signs. That much is clear.

But if I do not respond directly to your post, why are you up my arse? My response was to another poster, not to you. So take your anger and your desire to control what I do and shove it up your immature little hiney hole.

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IoTPanic OP t1_ivrn7bx wrote

Frankly the yard signs existing is not my problem, you still fail to understand the thread, and you being salty about my reply after just explaining to someone it's your first amendment right to litter our public space is the reason I am up you.

You are the problem, and I need you to understand that.

EDIT: added "our public space", ruin your own yard, as made clear in the post.

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IamSauerKraut t1_ivrrxc7 wrote

I need not understand the entirety of the thread; indeed, I need not even read the entire thread to respond to one specific comment as I did.

Further the exercise of a person's first amendment right in public spaces is not littering, despite your unclever effort to make it so. Your unwillingness to understand that is the problem.

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IoTPanic OP t1_ivrt1vz wrote

Wow, I'm not sure any defense is needed after you make a reply like that. Enjoy your day sir 😆👍

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IamSauerKraut t1_ivs10hp wrote

>You are the problem, and I need you to understand that.

Your self-centered attitude is the problem; you need to understand that.

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New_Sun6390 t1_ivtims5 wrote

Please go away. And take your obnoxious political signs with you. Have a nice day

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IamSauerKraut t1_ivvmyqi wrote

waaahhhhh... Imma cry over someone engaging in their free speech rights instead of focusing on some real issues... waaaahhhh.

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mostassuredlyafish t1_ivptjty wrote

Someone kept putting LePage signs on my property. I kept taking them off.

I had a pile going for a bit, but I got worried someone might think I stole them, so off they went to the dump.

Those things aren't cheap, right? I half expect some guy in a Red Hat to come by and ask for them back.

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IamSauerKraut t1_ivqv6i9 wrote

You should have called his campaign and told them to retrieve them.

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Vryimpatnt t1_ivqkl1n wrote

I like driving by all those lepage signs this morning.

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fjphil t1_ivpuknq wrote

Signs are dumb and serve no practical purpose other than cluttering up landfills. I doubt 1 person has ever been swayed by some random election sign . I wish every city would ban them, waste of materials and just generally useless.

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reason2listen t1_ivqnp3k wrote

I despise them. They pollute the neighborhood in so many ways.

This year I decided to fight back and ordered some of my own that read, “YARD SIGNS ARE UGLY” and planted them at the exits to my neighborhood. They didn’t last long, but at least that means I made my point to at least a couple of people.

This morning, after seeing the preferred candidate of my neighborhood lose, I started phase 2 of the project by ordering another round that read “YARD SIGNS ARE FOR LOSERS”.

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IamSauerKraut t1_ivqv391 wrote

The only points you made are that you like wasting your money and that you have an obnoxious streak.

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SolitudeStands t1_ivqp5m0 wrote

My spouse and I have decided to no longer sell them from our sign shop because of this. We don't want to be associated with arseholes.

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iammabdaddy t1_ivqujq3 wrote

I think they are a total waste of money & effort. The litter it creates is the worse part!

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boon4376 t1_ivs7ur1 wrote

Oh you don't like reading 10,000 signs while driving through a roundabout?

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blissoasis t1_ivqhlkh wrote

Has anyone actually looked at a sign and been like " oh damn, I like what that says, the sign has convinced me"

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IamSauerKraut t1_ivquzay wrote

I've gotten calls from folks who have seen my signs and cheered me on. Also had convos with folks who did not know I was running for office.

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Available_Grab9694 t1_ivrusdk wrote

You ran for office? Are you going to take all your signs down now?

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IamSauerKraut t1_ivs1a04 wrote

My signs were always removed from public spaces as soon as the election was over. Some private property owners kept them up. As they had a right to do.

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positivelyappositive t1_ivq9k4o wrote

I think they serve two purposes:

  1. Name recognition for down ballot candidates.
  2. For ones on private property: signaling to other people how you feel.

I don't think they really change people's votes per se, or are even really about that. I think the statement it makes to others can make a difference in the mood of a place, even if the effect on the vote count in a given election is minimal.

For example, I was supporting Mills and didn't like LePage very much, and the Republicans were very early in getting their signs up. Seeing a few LePage signs and nothing else around the neighborhood felt kind of meh, like maybe my neighbors really don't agree with me on this. But over time, a few more people (including myself) put Mills signs up. It felt more like an even split at that point, like I wasn't really out on a limb in the neighborhood. If it was only LePage signs the whole time, it wouldn't have changed my vote, but I would have felt like the Dems really didn't have any momentum or local presence, which could change my feeling about them over time.

So yeah, I don't think they swing many voters, but I don't think they're worthless either.

I will say there was a senate candidate in Lewiston who absolutely blanketed the city in his signs because he's a big landlord and some other big landlords were supporting him, so they had plenty of free real estate to cover. It gave me great satisfaction that he lost by a lot.

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downeastdude t1_ivs1tz4 wrote

Honestly we should ban them just like we did with billboards. Annoying af.

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trutknoxs t1_ivqxdcn wrote

The signs are annoying and only serve to notify me that someone is running for something. Seeing someone’s sign(s) has 0 impact on if they will get my vote.

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Atilla_For_Fun t1_ivqypvc wrote

No I despise them. Besides creating so much trash and litter, it ruins whatever modest beauty that was there.

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DonkeyKongsVet t1_ivr4542 wrote

I’m tired of them blocking my view at the ends of roads and nobody does anything about it. Towns just let them place as many signs as they want and wherever they want Check out route 15 in Kenduskeag. More Bruce Poliquin signs in a small area and stretch of road. We get it. Then majority of these signs become trash for cars to run over. Signs should be made to withstand certain wind speeds and towns need to fine the political parties for not cleaning up.

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mbruntonx1 t1_ivr5nsj wrote

Obviously, signs don't work. LePage lost, big time!

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cake_swindler t1_ivr5o4a wrote

All the signs in my town got stolen by the opposition weeks ago.

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guggabump t1_ivrh30g wrote

When I first moved to Maine I’d use them as sign posts. When the election was over and people removed them i would get lost a bunch.

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mrtlwolf t1_ivu827f wrote

The only ones I liked was, when I was a kid our local representative was Charles "Dusty" Fisher. After Election Day when he'd be re-elected, he'd go around and change his signs to ones that said "Thank you".

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selguha t1_ivwzmf4 wrote

Sen. Ben Chipman has put little thank-you notes on his signs around Portland

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DidDunMegasploded t1_ivq8a9l wrote

God no. I'm driving my two-ton death machine, I don't have the time to literally rubberneck at signs.

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ozzie286 t1_ivr7xwt wrote

That's why they gotta put up 5000 of them on every street, so every time you pass one you see a little bit more of it.

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countofbluecars t1_ivqu7sd wrote

Some people (guess who?) consider them a show of strength and put them in their yards and on derelict property as soon as they get them. The intent is to generate the “Wow, they must be popular” impression as early as possible.

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riefpirate t1_ivr1ife wrote

I don't do signs I don't need the world knowing what I think , just the people here. If you could do it I'd support banning yard signs 100%

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Yourbubblestink t1_ivr9md5 wrote

>(I'm not making any sort of political statement here, only describing my experience.)

I'll make a political statement: I'm super happy that Penguin has to move back down to Florida and tend bar in the shadows of Desantis and orange anus.

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FragilousSpectunkery t1_ivrboy9 wrote

I watched a guy pull (R) signs down today on either side of Rte 1 in Woolwich this morning. Looked great not having all those idiotic signs littering the view anymore.

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selguha t1_ivx1h8q wrote

> Does anyone actually like the political signs?

Oh yeah, I do. Not sure what's wrong with me. But I'll give my reasons.

  • I like grassroots democracy (even though most campaigns aren't grassroots, some are, like the campaign I put up signs for this season).
  • I like graphic design: the fonts, the proportions, the simple color schemes.
  • I like to think about the semiotics: how certain fonts connote conservatism, while others suggest innovation. How certain colors, or the absence of capital letters, or the prominence of first names, all serve to emphasize the non-threatening femininity of female candidates.
  • It's interesting how fashions in signage change.
  • I like last names. Some candidates always have interesting last names.
  • I just like the colors, honestly. And it's only a month or so every year, so it doesn't really get old.
  • Signs can be funny, like the Mills signs that said "My rights. My body. My governor," as if to imply the possibility of a late-term abortion (by the body politic) of the Governor.

But seeing how much you all hate signs has definitely lit a fire under my ass to get all mine taken down within the week!

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SwvellyBents t1_ivqoqhf wrote

The low IQers, ie, Trumpists, obviously equate yard signs, bumper stickers, flags and such as electoral votes. They revel in their muchness.

I personally, won't place a politcal bumper sticker on my vehicle or a campaign sign on my land. It's reverse psychology. My vote is my secret. Let them believe they won right up until they didn't.

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Dizzyluffy t1_ivre7hm wrote

Yeah that was one thing R’s we’re trying to say after Biden won “No way that guy won, you barely saw any Biden signs anywhere in my neighborhood!” Like it equates to votes lol. Well, we don’t hang giant political billboard signs and flags on our homes and vehicles and wear hats and t-shirts that say idiotic slogans like ‘brandon’. We just vote and maybe put up a few yard signs a few weeks before election time and they come down a day or two afterwards.

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Fabulous-Opposite838 t1_ivqsen0 wrote

Nope, the sign I wish I had was the “ I love my library” sign.

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Larabic t1_ivsxxrm wrote

Between these and real estate signs they make great holders for my targets when I go shooting. Easy to put up and take down, easy to transport.

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tenfootturd t1_ivub23c wrote

I've always wondered if the signs make any difference at all.I know they don't to me.

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ncm0229 t1_ivrnnsb wrote

If libs REALLY cared about climate change and silly shit like that then not allowing these signs polluting our beautiful state would be a priority right? hahaha. (Hint - it’s not)

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IoTPanic OP t1_ivrp521 wrote

I'm enjoying reading what people think about the signs (beside the people on the signs) but you totally deprived me of an answer. I would be happy to hear if you agree or disagree with my opinion that putting these signs in public places is littering.

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ncm0229 t1_ivrrhkn wrote

Ok if you dont understand what I’m saying… yea it’s littering and libs should work hard on getting political signs banned on the next ballot.

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