‘Just seconds for that to register:’ Do political yard signs matter to young voters?

By Aaron Cousin/Kent State NewsLab

One of the many ways candidates try to appeal to you during election season is that small sign with their name on it you always see when you’re driving past your neighborhood. What did it say again? Was the name John or Jane? You were driving too fast to get a good read on who you should vote for, but why does everyone in the neighborhood like that person? Does that mean you should vote for them, too?

“Driving past a sign on the road, your brain has just seconds for that to register,” Kathy DiCristofaro, vice chair and political director of the Trumbull County Democratic Party, said. “You want their last name [and] the office they’re running to be the most prominent thing.”

Political signs exist to generate awareness and name recognition for a candidate so voters will vote for them, and they have been around for centuries, dating back to 1828. The presidential race between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson was the first one to have campaign merchandise, and since then, political signs have been part of American campaigns.

DiCristofaro said that people seeing political signs in neighborhoods still has an impact, even with political advertising now online, on televisions and in print.

“I’ve had voters say to me, ‘I’m not familiar with the candidates; however, my neighbor has this candidate,’ and sometimes that will help persuade them,” she said. “Because it’s someone they know, someone they trust, [and] they feel that their judgment is good.”

DiCristofaro said signs also help with name recognition, so the more someone sees a political sign with a huge name on it, it creates awareness. When candidates go through training, she said, they are advised to not clutter a sign with excess images so people aren’t too overwhelmed by what the sign says.

A 2016 study led by political scientist Donald Green found lawn signs can have an effect of a little over one percentage point — a small number, yes, but it could be enough to ensure victory or defeat for a candidate in a close race.

A study by Todd Makse and Anand E. Sokhey found that 46% of people think political signs can influence how someone votes.

“Local political signs don’t matter to me all that much,” said Youngstown State student Mya Atwood. “But I think it’s a good way to show political views to others.” 

Signs recently generated national attention for one Ohio county. The Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski suggested on a Facebook post that people write down addresses of houses with Kamala Harris  signs in their yards so immigrants could be housed with them. In response, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio called the post a threat against Portage County residents and said residents were “coerced to take down or refrain from putting up a yard sign.”

As a result, the Department of Justice is monitoring the voting process in Portage County for signs of voter intimidation.

Signs have been proven in American history to be impactful, but is this centuries-old tactic effective on young voters? Gen-Z voter and Youngstown State Graduate Jason Ngo said local signs won’t persuade him to vote for anyone, but can see why they are important.

“For me, political signs are a good thing,” Ngo said. “I drive around and I see my neighbors have political signs, it tells me they are aware of the situation in our country. They believe these candidates are capable of solving our problems.”

This story was originally published by the Kent State NewsLab, a collaborative news outlet publishing journalism by Kent State students.