Good design leads to electoral success?
Winning design?
Observation: the results of our campaign yard sign design primary matched up surprisingly well with what actually happened in last week's primaries.
Here's the breakdown...
Albany County DA
Design primary winner: David Soares
Actual primary winner: David Soares
State Senate 43rd
Design primary winner: There was no winner
Actual primary winner: There is no winner! (Not yet -- it's headed for a recount.)
State Senate 44th
Design primary winner: Neil Breslin, "with a huge lead"
Actual primary winner: Neil Breslin, 69-28 over Shawn Morse
Assembly 108th
Design primary winner: too close to call, a slight edge for McDonald
Actual primary winner: John McDonald, 54-44
Assembly 109th
Design primary winner: Patricia Fahy, surprising showing for resurrected Jim Coyne sign
Actual primary winner: Patricia Fahy, surprising showing for resurrected Jim Coyne candidate (8.5 percent of vote, didn't finish last, for a candidate who's served time in prison on charges related to questionable behavior while last holding office)
Assembly 110th
Design primary winner: Phil Steck
Actual primary winner: Phil Steck
____
So, all you need to do is get a good campaign sign and you're headed for success? Uh, probably not. This was probably as much luck as anything.
But... think about it this way, candidates: An attractive, well-designed campaign sign probably isn't going to hurt you. And it will be much nicer for the rest of us to look at. That's gotta count for something. Maybe even a vote or two.
Patricia's Fahy campaign advertises on AOA.
Earlier on AOA:
+ Political yard sign design primary, part I
+ Political yard sign design primary, part II
+ State and local primary election results 2012
Say Something!
We'd really like you to take part in the conversation here at All Over Albany. But we do have a few rules here. Don't worry, they're easy. The first: be kind. The second: treat everyone else with the same respect you'd like to see in return. Cool? Great, post away. Comments are moderated so it might take a little while for your comment to show up. Thanks for being patient.
Comments
I've loved this whole series of posts.
Also, because I don't need much of an excuse...earlier on the interwebs:
http://xkcd.com/552/
... said the_exile on Sep 17, 2012 at 2:57 PM | link
@the_exile: Re: the xkcd comic -- totally fair! I thought the way it lined up was more funny than anything.
Anyway, here's a Slate review of research regarding yard signs and voting behavior.
... said Greg on Sep 17, 2012 at 4:29 PM | link
Or, one could surmise, campaign money leads to good design.
... said Rob on Sep 18, 2012 at 8:20 AM | link
Oh, my, the country could be in a lot of trouble. The Romney-Ryan sign looks awfully elegant whenever I see it.
... said chrisck on Sep 19, 2012 at 6:13 PM | link