Yard Signs Create Conversations in Critical Battleground Towns, and We’re Distributing Tens-of-Thousands of Free Signs This Campaign Cycle
Dani Cook with vocal locals in Michigan
Growing up in northeast Tennessee, I know what it feels like to be the odd person out for a number of reasons. I was a biracial child being raised by a white mom in a region where the diversity was so small the 1980 US Census didn’t even provide economic statistics by race, only by sex.
My Black dad passed away from lung cancer at the tender age of 32 when I was just six months old. He was a Vietnam Veteran who did two tours there before receiving his medical discharge. Can you imagine being raised by a white mom in an area like that one?
You’re probably already thinking about the number of times I was called the n-word or looked at funny when walking with a white woman and calling her “mom”. And you’re not wrong. But there was also prejudice from the Black children because I “talked white” and was light-skinned. So, in addition to the n-word, I got zebra, oreo, and half-breed.
Oh, and I was smart. Being the only Black child in the gifted program didn’t help matters.
They didn’t know my dad had made my mom promise before he died that she would ensure we spoke properly, enunciated our words, and had a good vocabulary so we wouldn’t be judged by our speech in addition to the color of our skin.
I didn’t fit in with the community as a whole because my family didn’t have the right make-up and my mom’s children didn’t have the right skin color. I mean, Erwin, Tennessee was just 45 minutes down the road and it was a Sundown Town.
I didn’t fit in with the smart kids because often, they were not only white, but wealthy. I was neither.
I was the odd person out and it didn’t feel good. It felt like standing in the middle of a crowd, front and center, and not being seen.
This is the reality for too many rural and small-town Democrats. We have been forgotten. We feel ignored. And when we feel unseen, it can be hard to stay engaged in politics.
We consistently see Trump signs or flags in our small towns and rural communities while rural Democrats remain “invisible,” and as a result, we’re bleeding votes. It’s time for that to change.
That’s why RuralVote.org has assembled an incredible team to build Democratic visibility in small towns and rural communities across battleground states. Our campaign uses yard signs to show rural voters who support democratic values and Democratic voters in critical battleground towns that they are not alone.
The goals of our campaign this cycle are to:
Build a community of emboldened rural voters who support democratic values and Democratic candidates
Create local “out loud” organic conversations among voters too often ignored by both parties
Ensure rural Democrats in battleground states see and know each other through our signs and statewide networking
Yard signs, of course, aren’t the only way to engage in campaigns, but they are important and, too often, overlooked - especially among Democrats.
Each Yard Sign Generates Between Four and Six Conversations
There is safety in numbers. When small-town Democrats like me see that we are not alone, it’s incredibly motivating. When we feel motivated, we start talking to our friends and neighbors, and these conversations matter.
Yard signs are just the beginning. One of the most surprising findings from our work over the years has been that each yard sign placed generates four to six organic conversations.
When I tell rural voters that we have FREE yard signs for them, the reaction I often get is, “Are you for real?”
Trust me, I am. And our latest work demonstrates it.
With the 11,000 yard signs in Ohio for the ballot initiative and special election in 2023, these signs generated over 50,000 conversations!
Just sit with that for a minute. 50,000 conversations! Imagine the impact of that happening in your rural community! It’s a game-changer on so many levels.
And here’s the best part, In Ohio, 87% of our 300 volunteers across 60 counties were not previously connected to local organizing and would not have been engaged through other campaigns.
We’ve placed another 5,000 in just the last few weeks. In addition to Ohio, we’ve added Montana, Michigan, and Wisconsin to the mix! And we’re just getting started—our campaign hasn’t even officially launched yet.
Our Volunteers Placing Signs in Montana Lean Less Partisan, More Independent Than Democratic
The early results from our work in Montana have also been exciting. Roughly 85% of our 476 volunteers statewide are not being reached through other organizing efforts, and their average partisan score is 45.5. That means our volunteers lean less partisan and more independent than Democratic.
And look at who we are reaching in Montana:
85% report not being connected to local organizing
30% of the vocal locals didn’t vote in the 2022 General Election
25% of the vocal locals didn’t vote in the 2018 General Election
24% of vocal locals have a partisan score of less than 30
12% of the vocal locals are not in the VAN
11.5% of the vocal locals didn’t vote in the 2020 General Election
What we’ve been able to do is identify people we call “Vocal Locals” and, in the process, utilize our online work to create offline visibility. We don’t do this in a vacuum. We’ve been doing research, experimenting, building relationships, and keeping in touch. For years, we heard “yard signs don’t vote” from DC-based consultants. But, people who put up yard signs do vote and their neighbors notice. And, there is a clamor for them.
Yard Signs Create a Sense of Community for Pro-Democratic Voters
Since we started our yard sign efforts in the 2019 Kentucky gubernatorial race, we have distributed nearly 100,000 free yard signs to rural voters.
Last year in Ohio, we were confident that a strong yard sign campaign would supplement the traditional fieldwork underway and help move the progressive needle. And they did.
Now, we’ve taken the success, along with the corresponding lessons and opportunities for improvement, and come out of the gates strong in 2024!
I mainly manage our relationship with our “Vocal Locals” through texts. It’s incredible to see people who have never spoken with us and have no idea who we go from speculation (maybe even some suspicion, lol) to excitement upon receipt of their free yard signs!
I mean, I’m getting text messages that include pics of their yard signs up on their yards and offers to help get more of them out! It’s truly remarkable to see the offline impact that began as a cold-text to people who aren’t connected to an organization or party already.
As we’ve worked on this project, we have made it easier and easier for locals to join in by creating tool kits, providing online training and networking calls, and streamlining the distribution process. The idea is to make participating in a yard sign campaign a no-brainer AND have it be effective, maybe even exciting! For us, it’s not just about the signs, it’s about creating a community of people engaged in our democracy.
Some stellar organizations are doing great work in rural America. Our goal is to add to that work and organize beyond the choir. The data says we’re off to a tremendous start, but there is a lot more to do!
But I can tell you this: there are many rural and small-town Democrats willing to do the work. How do I know? Because I talk to them every day. I hear their stories, their desire for change, and their commitment to the work. Thousands have already requested yard signs, and hundreds have agreed to volunteer, and that is a very good start.
