With this year’s election coming down to the wire, it’s no wonder that political signs are running rampant through city streets. What is a wonder though, is why so many of them are turning up missing. Sign stealing is at an all time high, and it’s happening all over the US. The reason is unknown; whether it is opposing views stealing the signs so that their competition isn’t getting their name out there, or just a bunch of immature violence-prone people finally getting their chance to run wild. Whatever it is, it is getting out of hand.

A chairman in Hawaii has noticed that they have had “about 200 yard signs and large banners defaced, destroyed, torn down or stolen from areas throughout the island.” And apparently, this has been a campaign tactic used in Hawaii for years. I don’t know whether or not this is an effective “campaign tactic,” if anything, I want to say it’s more annoying and immature than strategic business practice. Although some could argue those traits are the core of politics, so when you get down to it, these sign stealers are just following suit. Nah, I am not condoning this one bit. I think it’s juvenile and destructive. Not to mention these little yard signs cost money! In Fairbanks, someone had destroyed two custom made Barack Obama signs that cost $400 each to make. That is hefty. And the possibility of installing security cameras near the bigger signs to catch the culprits has been thrown around. It’s not just yard signs people are ruining, it’s everything, and many people are upset that it’s a breech on the first amendment. “It’s interfering with American rights – the freedom of speech,” says a Democrat that has been having his signs and banners destroyed all over the place. It is unpatriotic and un-American. Some people still have a nonchalant stance on the whole thing. Understanding that disappearing signs are a cost of doing business in any political campaign, and it just comes with the territory.

Basically, yard signs are a way for people to get their views out to the world. Signs are a way to publicly display your personal beliefs on who you think is right for this country. And give your neighbors a pretty good idea of what kind of cul-de-sac they are living on. But nothing is wrong with that, and people should be allowed to express their opinions the way they want to. Would you steal the shirt of someone’s back because you don’t believe the graphic on the front? Would you rip apart the hat on someone’s head because you don’t believe in what the message is? I don’t think you would. Because really, that would just be silly. Now what is the difference between what I just mentioned and destroying someone’s personal yard sign or a banner that merely reflects what kind of person they are and what they believe in? I don’t think there is one. I have heard the argument that putting up yard signs is just asking for trouble. Explain to me how that makes any sense! Everyone needs to stop being so darn angry and destructive. Let’s start teaching respect; for other people and self, and maybe then people will stop thinking it is ok to ruin property that isn’t yours.

Is it just the fact that it is political that people feel the need to act like crazy animals? Because if that is the case, get over it. No one in this world is EVER going to have the exact same opinions on something as someone else, I think it’s about time that we realized that and actually celebrated diversity. Welcomed different views and voted like crazy. Wouldn’t that be the day? Whether its yard signs, political signs, “it’s a boy!” signs, or business signs, leave the signs alone, they didn’t do anything to you.

If you have stepped outside in the past few weeks, I’m sure you’ve noticed the plethora of political signs strewn about yards, sidewalks, medians… Any place a sign can fit, a sign there is. There have been many debates as to whether or not the number of political signs matter to the effectiveness of a campaign. Is less actually more? Why do people find the number of signs so offensive and fight for them to be removed and go so far as to steal or deface them?

I don’t necessarily have any problems with the number of yard signs that people want to throw up. 50 or five, doesn’t matter to me. However the argument that people will start to become numb to signs if there are too many I think has some merit. The message that is trying to be portrayed in a sign can lose its value if it’s thrown in your face day after day after day. On the flip side, if you just put up a few and they happen to be in more low traffic areas, they will not be effective at all. A lot of other factors play a role in the amount of signs you distribute, budget, for one. But what is the happy medium? Where do you stop, or better yet, do you stop?

The only signs I’ve seen around Denver are the Obama ‘08 signs. Whether there are tons of them, or they are just extremely strategically placed, I do not know. But I do know that every time I step outside Obama is fresh on my mind, with little to no competition from other signage. It could be that I’m just not looking for any other signs, but then again, who actually goes out in search of political signs? They just need to be there. And let’s be honest, I’m not seeing much of other candidates. Tsk Tsk. There are loads of people carrying signs, especially in Downtown Denver at the moment. In fact, the amount of handmade signs, banners and posters downtown is kind of overwhelming. Signs with every kind of debatable issue from election candidates to bird pornography, but candidate signs besides Obama it seems are few and far between. There have also been a surprisingly large number of Biden signs, which I honestly wasn’t expecting to see a lot of, and I’m not too sure why. “With two minutes remaining in vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden’s speech, they replaced red “Biden” signs with blue “Obama-Biden” signs, which delegates waved en masse when Obama made a surprise appearance onstage at the conclusion of Biden’s speech.” States an article from the Aspen Daily News. Also according to this article, “when delegates on the floor raise a sign at the wrong time, one of the yellow-vested sign monitors will sometimes motion them to keep it down.” Really?? If people want to raise their signs at awkward, inappropriate times, who are we to stop them? Raise those signs high, people!

I think we should start getting much more creative with political promotional products. Like the Obama action figure doll. Awesome. Start sticking dolls on bus benches, tree branches, stoops of buildings. It’s the same concept as a sign right? And much more creative. And you can stick them in much more hard to reach places. Or how about life sized cardboard cut outs of the candidates? Put them on street corners, in yards, and on sidewalks. They could even have thought bubbles with issues they stand for, or holding posters with messages or quotes on them. Now there is an idea! Not only would it produce the same effect as a political sign, but if for some reason you don’t know what the candidate looks like – bam! Now you do. And if you put up as many cardboard cutouts as you do signs, you’re not likely to forget the face, either. Not only that, but Obama ’08 signs can only be used once. Cardboard cutouts can last a lifetime.

Anyway, the fact is political yard signs can be as valuable to a campaign as the issues themselves, and if you decide to splatter the world with as many as you possibly can, I say go for it. And maybe it’s too late for this election, but next go a-round, let’s try to get more creative, folks!