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How Effective Are Campaign Lawn Signs?

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- With just over two weeks left to go before the end of the election season, more and more signs are starting to show up on neighborhood lawns.

Signs are still considered among the top ways to campaign, but how effective are they truly?

Stacy Nelson, who works at Signs Now in Plymouth, says she's been creating all kinds of signs for 15 years now. She said, come election time, it's hit or miss.

"Some years we do quite a few, and some years we don't do any. It's a competitive market," she said. "With the presidential (race), I don't think there's quite as many out on the roads. But, for sure, the local elections."

From color, font, message and more, there's a science behind what exactly goes on those signs.

"I think the most important thing is readability. Oftentimes you're competing for attention with people driving by," Darren Bergman, of Signarama, said. "So make sure that the name is large, the font is readable, and you're not trying to cram too much information on a sign."

Nelson agreed, noting that signs shouldn't be too fancy, otherwise the messages risk getting lost as people drive past them.

Typically, signs don't note party affiliation, which is often deliberate so that people will vote for a name rather than a group.

Some sign companies report having to chase down politicians and political parties for payment on the signs they create.

"Campaigns are cash-starved. They operate a lot of volunteers, and for them, they're trying to take a limited amount of dollars and allocate them properly," Bergman said.

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