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Where are all the Yard Signs?

by: nhveedub

Tue Aug 03, 2010 at 12:21:58 PM EDT
I haven't seen any Democratic yard signs in my area this political season, yet I am surrounded by Republican ones. It gives the impression we Democrats are not engaged, and are infact, outnumbered. Where are all the signs? - Which by their sheer volume, indicate the size of our army?

Perhaps this is because I live in Deering, though my humble little town voted Democratic the past two cycles. Perhaps its because our Senate candidate is running unopposed, though the Kuster/Swett debate is alive and well.... Perhaps there is a strategy at play here I'm just not seeing???

For my part, I have two signs at the end of my driveway (on a state road): Hodes and my CD2 choice. Once I can find some info on my Senate district 7 candidate (Michele Tremblay), or who the candidates are for state rep, I will add more.

I would encourage the proverbial floodgates to be opened. We're looking kinda weak here.
nhveedub :: Where are all the Yard Signs?
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Where are all the Yard Signs? | 30 comments
I suspect (4.00 / 2)
it is that there are very few Democratic primaries, so they are waiting to find out who will be running on the other side.  I know a lot of us are planning to put up signs just before the primary, that way they don't get stolen quite so fast, since we are not self-funding like the other side.  
I have seen a lot of Kuster signs on Rt. 28 north of Rt. 4, I live in CD-01 myself, but travel on 28 occasionally.  
Yard signs are not always a positive motivator. (0.00 / 0)
In my area, a lot of people are turned off by the signs, especially when they are just planted beside the road, as opposed to being posted squarely in someone's yard.  The three of us who run together for the three state rep slots got a lot of positive feedback for putting all three names on one sign, and cutting down on roadside clutter.  I think that with respect to signs, it's a balancing act.

Makes sense (0.00 / 0)
Balancing act is a good description. It would be great to visually see more support each day on my travels though - but I'm also glad they're not plastered everywhere.

I had two signs either stolen or defaced during 2008 - and one destroyed mailbox. When I got signs this year, I asked for a backup for when the inevitable happens.

[ Parent ]
How to find out who is running in your district (0.00 / 0)
To find out who is running in your district, Google NH Secretary of State elections, Choose 2010 Elections and then the party you want to look up.  The site is www.sos.nh.gov/electioninformation--2010.htm .

If you do not know what senate or representative district you are in, Google NH General Court ( www.gencourt.state.nh.us/ ) and choose either find My Representative or Find My Senator.  This will give the number of your district and the name of the current senator and representative(s).  Use the number of your district to look up the current candidates on the Secretary of State's web site.

You can also check with your county committee.

Thank you! (0.00 / 0)
I spent a half hour yesterday searching with no luck:)
[ Parent ]
Direct link to all Dem Candidates (4.00 / 1)
http://www.sos.nh.gov/cumulati...
[ Parent ]
Thanks for the link (0.00 / 0)
Despite having been told how numerous times, I can't get them to work.
[ Parent ]
Got Signs? (4.00 / 2)
I sell political yards signs along with any other printing commercial and political with Union Bug.
I gotchur signs.....

6 days till election day
Have you knocked on doors today? Have you made calls ? Have you talked to your neighbors ?  
On average the cost (4.00 / 4)

of a single sign with wire/post is around $2.  

A sign placed in the ground in July has a 50% of being there by Labor Day, a 25% of being there on October 15th and a 1% chance of still being there by Election Day.  Replacing each sign twice adds up.

It is not unusual for a statewide campaign to go through 10,000 to 15,000 signs (about $30,000) never mind the staff time and gas for assembling and placing the signs. (To put it into perspective: $30,000 would pay for 20 paid canvassers for the six weeks leading up to Election Day or in another way it takes 3,000 $10 donations to pay for the signs).

And this does not even include the 4x8s, 4x4s or 4x2s that are very expensive and also regularly disappear.

That said, never fear, the signs will be out soon!


Have you written a letter to the editor today? Have you donated today? Have you put up signs? Have you made calls? Have you talked to your neighbors?

well then (4.00 / 3)
If I want a CSP sign for my little yard, and I do, I should be willing to make a small donation to pay for it.  And I will!

Thanks for the great explanation, Ray!

Paula

Paula M. DiNardo
Dover NH

A Blue Hampster since 2007!


[ Parent ]
Small donations (4.00 / 2)
This is why it's useful for campaigns to remind people that even a $5 donation is actually worth something tangible.

--
"Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past; you must fight just to keep them alive!"

@DougLindner

[ Parent ]
you've seen this one (4.00 / 4)
Photobucket

6 days till election day
Have you knocked on doors today? Have you made calls ? Have you talked to your neighbors ?  
Kathleen Kelly District 16 (4.00 / 2)
you'll be seeing this on the weekend...
Photobucket

sorry for the low res image...I can't upload pdf's

6 days till election day
Have you knocked on doors today? Have you made calls ? Have you talked to your neighbors ?  

click through to hi-res images n/t (0.00 / 0)


6 days till election day
Have you knocked on doors today? Have you made calls ? Have you talked to your neighbors ?  
[ Parent ]
Andrew Hosmer Disrict 4 (4.00 / 1)
click through to full image

Photobucket

6 days till election day
Have you knocked on doors today? Have you made calls ? Have you talked to your neighbors ?  

Michele Tremblay District 7 (4.00 / 1)
Photobucket

6 days till election day
Have you knocked on doors today? Have you made calls ? Have you talked to your neighbors ?  
The Republican signs (0.00 / 0)
I'm seeing are overwhelmingly "in the weeds" rather than on actual lawns. Also there is a primary on their side at the state rep level, the gubernatorial level, and for US House and Senate. It's  a little early for those, too, IMO.  
Michele's facebook and website (4.00 / 1)
You can learn more about Michele and contact her through her website: http://tremblayforsenate.com/

or her facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/home.p...

Posted by Emily Cashman, Senate Caucus Communications Director with the New Hampshire Democratic Party

Concord (4.00 / 1)
There are tons of Kuster signs up around Concord, plus somewhat fewer for Katrina but still a significant number. Both Dems seem to outnumber Repub signs here, at least.
No Swett yet seen (by me at least) in my area (4.00 / 1)
north of Concord and more and more Kuster as the days pass.

On a lighter note, my local incumbent GOP rep Jenn Coffey is facing a primary this September (7 R candidates for a 6-seat slate), so her signs are out early. Which makes sense for her, I guess.

One house has the (former? current?) free stater Coffey's sign next to too-liberal Bill Binnie, while a few miles north it's next to one of those Don't Tread on Me Tea Party signs.

All things to all Republicans, I guess!

birch, finch, beech

[ Parent ]
One thing I learned from watching recounts... (4.00 / 2)
Especially by the time you get down to the State Rep level, the party line has nearly played itself out.  People vote the most startling combinations, and often for candidates with conflicting ideologies.  I think it is mostly name recognition and those they have met.  Which is why contact is so important.

Favorite comment overheard by a former candidate  The speaker is a constituent, explaining why he, a conservative kinda guy, voted (unaccountably) for her:

"Sure, she's a bleeding-heart liberal, but she's OUR bleeding-heart liberal."

For what it's worth (4.00 / 1)
I was tooling around the Seacoast and Lakes Region this weekend and saw a surprising number of Jack Kimball signs, and zero John Stephen signs. Hmmm...

"Politics ain't beanbag" - Finley Peter Dunne
ovah heyah (0.00 / 0)
the signs for Kimball sit by the signs for Horn  

6 days till election day
Have you knocked on doors today? Have you made calls ? Have you talked to your neighbors ?  
[ Parent ]
I finally saw a Charlie Bass sign (0.00 / 0)
It was on the lawn of the local Republican headquarters, but still.

IIRC, it's a garish brown and yellow rather than the more traditional Bass garish purple and orange.

up close (0.00 / 0)
its DK.Blue/Orange
On my four mile daily jaunt through the Alpen hills of Bow...Four Kuster Two Swett One Bass -Two Lynch

6 days till election day
Have you knocked on doors today? Have you made calls ? Have you talked to your neighbors ?  
[ Parent ]
dynamic metamorism n/t (0.00 / 0)


6 days till election day
Have you knocked on doors today? Have you made calls ? Have you talked to your neighbors ?  
[ Parent ]
Maybe a different series (0.00 / 0)
The one I saw was very different from the color scheme in previous campaigns.

Maybe I can get a picture.

[ Parent ]
Charlie is flexible (in both ideology and colors) (0.00 / 0)
In '94, Bass switched to blue-and-white signs in the final month so that he could piggy back on Merrill's popularity.  (The then-Gov.'s posters were identical in color and font.)

Perhaps he (once again) switched his brand to make voters forget that they threw him out of office?  Just a thought.

[ Parent ]
just a badly printing rendition of old purple and orange n/t (4.00 / 1)


6 days till election day
Have you knocked on doors today? Have you made calls ? Have you talked to your neighbors ?  
[ Parent ]
Cheshire Fair (4.00 / 1)
lots of signs just outside the Fairgrounds. Like, now is the time.  
Where are all the Yard Signs? | 30 comments

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