WASHINGTON — It’s that time of year when campaign signs begin to appear in front yards. That’s especially true when there is a presidential election. But in Wisconsin, some people are still waiting for their signs, and they’re getting frustrated.
Throughout Burnett County in Western Wisconsin, grass-lined streets are dotted with custom signs supporting Vice President Kamala Harris for the White House.
“They've got the wires. They're, I don't know, two feet by three feet, and they're corrugated so they can withstand rain and wind,” said Olga Diaz, a member of the Burnett County Democratic Party.
Diaz said the party made these signs because the campaign has yet to provide them.
“And if this makes people feel proud or heard or seen, then we want to jump on that opportunity and not just say, ‘Sorry, we don't have them. Sorry, we don't have them,’ right?” she explained. “Like, there's disappointment in not being able to get them.”
There was disappointment among Republicans too. John Righeimer, chair of the Sawyer County Republican Party, said it was frustrating to have people come to him for signs and then get upset when he didn’t have them.
“Then you have the rumblings of people [saying] we're not doing our job,” he said. “And it’s like, well, A, first, it starts from the campaign. B, once the campaign gets it out, I’m not even sure who decides where they go … I don't know what the tardiness was, or even if it was tardy.”
Righeimer just picked up his Trump-Vance signs on Saturday.
“This is more of a northern thing, a logistics thing of coming up,” Righeimer said. “And let's just face it, there's not as many people up here, so the priority of getting signage up here obviously would be less than getting them [to the] central [and southern parts] of the state.”
Righeimer said Republicans are happy they’re in now, and he’ll distribute them at their monthly meeting next week. Still, Righeimer said he doesn’t believe the signs matter much beyond displaying the enthusiasm of the homeowner putting them up.
“You know the saying is, ‘Signs don't vote,’” he said. “I've seen candidates that win the sign battle and lose at the ballot box.”
UW-Milwaukee political science professor Kennan Ferguson said he’s “doubtful” that signs can convince someone to get off the couch and vote.
“Political scientists have never really been able to figure out if signs are useful at all in terms of persuasion,” he said.
Ferguson added it probably isn’t surprising the Harris campaign has yet to distribute signs.
“The fact is, I'm sure that there are boxes and boxes of Biden-Harris signs that suddenly weren't able to be used by the Democrats, because suddenly Biden wasn't at the top of the ticket anymore,” Ferguson said.
Even if the effectiveness of the signs is in doubt, Ferguson expects a lot more of them to appear in front yards as campaigns rev up their operations before Election Day.
“They're a message. They help identify where you have friends and allies,” Diaz said. “Yeah, there's some disappointment that they aren't readily available, although people are excited for the potential of the arrival, right? Like, ‘They're coming, they're coming.’”