It’s Official: Political Signs Are Finally Banned In Boise

This week has been one for the books, huh? Heck.. you can say 2024 as a whole has been one for the ages. Most of us would agree that our nation's election has been the biggest story of the year thus far.

And The Results Are In...

The people of Idaho certainly showed up to the polls this year. According to Vote Idaho, an estimated 904,451 voters showed up to the polls with 605,041 (66.9%) voting for current President-elect Trump while current Vice President Harris snagged just 274,821 (30.4%) votes.

There are many reasons why the election turned out the way it did but is it possible that political campaign signs helped Idahoans decide who to vote for?

The Impact Of Political Campaign Signs... Do They Work?

The short answer is yes. Campaign signs impact us more than we realize. Back in 2011, Vanderbilt University conducted an experiment involving a phony campaign sign they made with the fictitious name of "Ben Griffin" for a student council election.

They placed the phony Ben Griffin signs near a school's Parent Teacher Organization meeting.

The researchers then asked the unknowing parents in attendance to complete a survey that included voting for a seat on the student council; the ballot included the fictitious "Ben Griffin."

According to Vanderbilt, researchers "found that nearly a quarter of the respondents who had driven by the signs for the fictitious Ben Griffin placed him among their top three choices for the at-large council seats."

“Our field experiment confirmed the earlier findings in the lab: in low-information races, name recognition increases candidate support,” one of the researchers said.

It's Time To Put The Signs Away...

Ada County officials have made it abundantly clear that campaign signs on public roads needed to be removed within 48 hours following Election Day.

Luckily, there isn't a serious penalty but if you leave a sign on the side of a road, expect to pay a fee to get it back.

You can learn more about the policy on Ada County Highway District's site HERE.