Driving around Greater Victoria, you wouldn’t know an election is less than a month away.
Campaign signs are few and far between.
It’s in stark contrast to the provincial election two years ago, when election signs littered boulevards and the last federal election four years ago.
“It doesn’t seem like they’re that prolific at all,” one voter told CHEK News. “They’re usually scattered throughout the city.”
“I really haven’t seen that much to be honest,” another man added. “But I don’t think they really work. They just try to out-do the other person.”
Political experts would have to agree.
Campaign signs are one of the biggest enigmas in modern campaigning,” says Royal Roads political scientist David Black. “The research indicates they don’t do as intended — that is, they don’t persuade anybody.”
So is the lack of signs a sign of voter apathy? Or are campaigns just more aware of the environmental impact?
CHEK News asked the four main candidates in the Victoria riding to find out.
Green candidate Racelle Kooy’s campaign says they’ve made a conscious choice not to put signs on public property and only on the lawns of supporters.
So far, the campaign for NDP Laurel Collins say they’ve only put signs on private property but may put them in more public locations closer to election day.
Liberal Nikki Macdonald’s campaign manager says they’ve stopped using plastic bag signs and switched to corrugated ones, which are more durable can be re-used.
And the campaign for conservative candidate Richard Caron says aside from people requesting signs, their main focus is door-knocking to get the word out.
“It remains the most effective thing a candidate can do at any level — municipal, provincial, federal — is to knock on a door, talk to a potential voter and listen to what they want,” Black explains.
But in our increasingly digital world, Black also believes election signs still have a place — raising awareness and reminding people there’s an election.
Tess van Straaten
