There are Signs an Election is Coming in Idaho

You can tell a great deal about campaign enthusiasm in a neighborhood by the volume of signs popping up in the weeks before Election Day.  A candidate had a conversation with me a couple of weeks ago.  State Representative Lance Clow had considerable marketing experience in the banking industry.  He explained you want to make sure your name, usually your last name, doesn’t get lost in the design.

Now this may also apply to a candidate with strong recognition of a first name.  Think Hillary Clinton in her various runs for U.S. Senate and the Presidency.  “Hillary” didn’t need an explanation.  It’s like saying Elvis.  You’re not thinking Elvis Grbac.  Locally, Rocky Ferrenburg can highlight both names.  Rocky isn’t as common a first name as it was 60 years ago.  When you have a unique name, it’s memorable.

In Montana, the two candidates running for U.S. Senate are both named Steve.  So, when they post signs the focus is on last names.

State Representative Linda Hartgen has a name advantage.  She succeeded her husband and the last name is already a local political brand.  An uncle of Twin Falls City Councilman Greg Lanting was an Idaho political legend.  Greg can count on brand recognition.

U.S. Senator Jim Risch uses blue and orange as a color combination, although I can’t quite discern if the blue is the same worn by the Broncos.  The sign is very easy to see.

There used to be an equation and the people who explained it to me 30 years ago told me each sign translated into a fixed number of votes.  The equation was postulated before the arrival of the Internet, which has changed much of modern politics in that people can be targeted by likes and affiliations down to the neighborhood level.

Twin Falls County has no timeline for collection of signs following an election.  Twin Falls City has a time limit.  Many candidates want to collect the old signs because they can be recycled in future elections.