Campaign Sign Trickery

Twenty years ago my wife and kids were in Alamogordo to help a family member in his run the the NM House of Representatives. On one particular weekend the assignment was "campaign sign duty." The strategy made alot of sense once it was explained to me. The theory goes like this. After about ten days to two weeks, particularly as campaign signs begin to proliferate, they tend to simply blend into the surroundings. Voters really don't even see them anymore, let alone read them. So, with the help of paint, the graffiti crew went around the town and "defaced" all the signs they had helped erect a few weeks earlier with happy faces etc. The goal of the tactic was to draw fresh attention to the campaign signs. Should anyone jump to the conclusion that the modifications were done by supporters of the opponent, or better yet discuss the subject of what sort of person would paint over another candidate's signs, so the better. I was amazed by the subtle cleverness of the tactic, but apparently the psychology of campaign sign trickery is one of the oldest methods in the books when it comes to trying to win favor with the electorate.

Campaign Sign Trickery