Natprk t1_ix355y2 wrote
Those signs won’t make someone change their minds. They may only identify the people’s politics and cause more hate and discontent. Plus pollute.
megaman368 t1_ix3ab3u wrote
Has anyone ever said “this sign makes a good point. I’m voting for them”
ThunderTwat t1_ix3b91v wrote
Maybe not national or even state wide races. But for town council or school board it can at least be a conversation starter between neighbors.
That said, get them off of public medians.
megaman368 t1_ix3c0j0 wrote
That seems like a stretch. Although if I saw someone with a LePage sign and a town council sign. I would automatically assume that I don’t agree with town council candidate. Guilt by association.
That said, it’s a huge environmental waste. I can’t imagine the collective tonnage of waste thrown out after Election Day.
eljefino t1_ix3nlyt wrote
I helped break down signs for a local candidate. The bent metal "wickets" went in the metal dumpster while the good ones are being saved for the next race. (We assemble them with new signs from the printer ourselves.) The plastic cardboardy stuff is theoretically recyclable, and went in the recycle bin. It's as recyclable as anything else that went in that bin, which is dubious.
TarantinoFan23 t1_ixkg05m wrote
So landfill it is
Skolanthropy t1_ix3j28s wrote
For me it goes something like:
"Oh, that person in that home supports that candidate? I wonder why. Let me look that up."
Happens that way occasionally, but usually I already know what my options are.
megaman368 t1_ix3mbqb wrote
I think that’s the best case scenario. And even at that it feels wasteful to produce millions of signs. On the off chance someone might not just completely ignore them.
Skolanthropy t1_ix40n9r wrote
True dat. Surely these signs could be restricted under the same premise as other restrictions on single-use plastics?
Or maybe we could mandate they be recyclable and then give $0.05 a pop for whoever brings them in.
Edit: The cost of the signs can be surprisingly high.
megaman368 t1_ix5j8ty wrote
I think recyclability is lie (or at least an exaggeration) that convinces us it’s ok to use plastic so we don’t have to modify our behavior.
I hate to stay this, but maybe we should stick to internet adds that cost a few watts to deliver.
Skolanthropy t1_ix62zap wrote
Personally, I block literally every internet ad.
IMO, I have the right to decide what gets my attention.
boowilbury t1_ix45ge9 wrote
Apparently they have some sway. https://www.npr.org/2022/10/01/1124484573/midterm-elections-political-signs
megaman368 t1_ix5kihn wrote
For now 1-2% is a pretty big difference in a tight race. I wonder how that number would change as the demographics that rely less on the internet age out.
obvilious t1_ix4f8qf wrote
Of course they work. It’s a good way to raise awareness for candidates that aren’t constantly in the news.
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