Whats the point of Election Posters?

Mark Hamill

I have been trying to rack my head for a good reason for the existence of election posters, but all I can come up with is that they can be used to target the sheep mindedness of the people that make up most of the population, ie a big picture & a snippy phrase to get your image into peoples heads so when voting time comes, people will recognise you first and vote for you without putting any thought into it.
Thing is, they dont tell anything of a politicians policies or experience and dont even give any indication of where you can find this out (ie their webisite, office address etc.). They dont really seem to be doing any public service, they are a hassle to remove afterwards (invariably the cable ties are left behind) and so seem like an uneccessary cost for the prospective politican.
Would it not be better to have a website set up, where you click on your local constituency and you get the full list of candidates with a description of each one and a link to their own websites where people can actually look up their policies and make informed voting decisions, and abandon the whole election poster method altogether?

dsmythy

It's any easy way to get candidates faces and names in public view. This idea is not unique to Ireland.

Permabear

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Mark Hamill

dsmythy wrote:

It's any easy way to get candidates faces and names in public view. This idea is not unique to Ireland.

Canditates faces and names in public view, but nothing else, no election manifestos or background infomation. Its all terribly gimmicky, "vote for me because you remember my face from the fourteen thousands posters you saw on the way to the voting station".
Far better, imo, to get the fact there is an election coming up in the public view, and then have people actually go and look up their local choices.

donegalfella wrote: »

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So the people without internet access should choose their election day votes based on the posters stuck up outside their houses? Fair enough that not all people dont have the internet, that was just one possibilty though. Others, such as more TV coverage, posting of leaflets, or Q&As with the politicians (maybe held at local libraries or post offices) are other ways for people to learn about the voting choices available to them. All would be far more effective and informative that posters on lamp-posts.

Do you think that these internet-less people would be missing out on any important information if they didn't have access to these posters?

Riskymove

donegalfella wrote: »

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1
oh come on, I have endless flyers, local newspapers etc in my door with faces and names all over them. Then there's plenty on tv and radio; I certainyl don't add to that by looking for pictures of candidates online.

2
I don't really need to see their face do I? I mean do people vote based on attractiveness; no evidence to support that:pac:

3
How many posters are necessary for each candidate? 1 on every lampost for miles? 1 large bill board in a town?

ALL candidates seem to have the same large amount of posters so therefore, logically they cannot affect result.

thebman

They should stop doing it. A voluntary agreement between the parties not to put them up would do wonders and show that all the parties can at least agree on something.

Not very likely to happen though.

dsmythy

thebman wrote: »

They should stop doing it. A voluntary agreement between the parties not to put them up would do wonders and show that all the parties can at least agree on something.

Not very likely to happen though.

They tried it with one of Lusk or Rush this year but failled miserably.

Count Dooku

Main idea behind posters is to force people choose “smart looking” candidates, rather the just smart.
This is the best way to get their seats for corrupted FF and stupid Labours …

paulmcd1973

You'd have to think there's something illegal about putting up election posters on every second lamp post in the country, but because it's the elected elite who put them there, there's no chance of prosecution. They're another cause of litter, unsecured posters blowing round the streets, cable ties left on posts, lying in gutters and on the side of the road.

Maybe if there were more posters of Liz O'Donnell it would make me less angry. :-)

mikemac

Mark Hamill wrote: »

Would it not be better to have a website set up, where you click on your local constituency and you get the full list of candidates with a description of each one and a link to their own websites where people can actually look up their policies and make informed voting decisions, and abandon the whole election poster method altogether?

Sure, if you can get broadband to every home in rural Ireland.
Until then I doubt anyone will be plugging out their home phone, plugging in that internet cable and using dialup to check out the local candidates. Always after 6pm as it's cheaper!
And get shouted at as someone needs to use the phone

Until then it'll have to be flyers and local radio if you want to balance out posters.
I do like your idea on Q & A sessions

paulmcd1973

What's the point of Election posters? Guerrilla Gardening.

http://www.unitedminds.ie/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=362

Nice work.

rubadub

thebman wrote: »

They should stop doing it. A voluntary agreement between the parties not to put them up would do wonders and show that all the parties can at least agree on something.

Not very likely to happen though.

Yes not likely, so it should just be banned. Coca-cola sticking posters up all over the place would not be tolerated. If there was no tradition of these posters and somebody suggested they be allowed it would never be passed.

paulmcd1973 wrote: »

You'd have to think there's something illegal about putting up election posters on every second lamp post in the country

Well most I see are illegal in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown I expect ~80-90% are illegal. Not sure about other county councils around the country.

Still no reply to my email, might send it again in bulk to all the greens I can find, and papers.

Dear Ms de Búrca,
I am shocked and disgusted at the littering you have inflicted on the borough of Dun Laoghaire. The entire stretch of the N11 from cabinteely to whites cross has been sullied with countless election posters, which have been put in place illegally. Your own posters, which I would hold you solely responsible for, are in far greater numbers than all the other posters combined. I do not see why a supposedly "green" party would even continue this outdated method of advertising. Even if these new posters are supposedly biodegradable their production is no doubt a waste of energy, in numerous senses of the word. I have been waiting for the day some party called for these ridiculous and dangerous eyesores to be banned outright, and it is ironic that the green party are by far the worst offenders.

On this particular stretch of the N11 on both side I have not seen a single poster of yours which is not in breach of the Litter Pollution Act 1997. Dun Laoghaire Rathdown county council issued very clear guidelines on displaying of election posters which you arrogantly and criminally have chosen to ignore. The guidelines can be seen in the link at the bottom of this email. Every single one of your posters is in breach of number 7, the height restriction. Others are in breach of 6 a,b,c,d,e,g,h, and 8.

Many are already pulled down and dangerously blowing into oncoming cars, the slightest potential for injury to a person should be reason enough to discontinue this outdated practise. Many of your posters are heavily encroaching cycletracks, especially due to their low height. Cyclists are legally obliged to cycle on these tracks which are already in a very poor condition without you adding to the risk. I see you have also refused to cut back the cable ties on all of your posters, many of these are at eye level and since you chose to use the more dangerous (poorly visible) black ties these are a very serious hazard to cyclists. I have reached speeds of 55kph on the N11 cycletrack and would not want to be struck in the eye by your cableties. I hope you have taken records of every single poster erected since many are already pulled down but these dangerous cable ties are still left. You are legally obliged to remove these ties but I hold little hope of that seeing the outrageous disrepect for the law you have already displayed.

I will be contacting the county council and the gardai regarding this serious offence. I hope you will act immediately to remove the existing illegal posters/litter from the N11.

Regards

******



http://www.dlrcoco.ie/Meetings/2009/DDHWWEDCEC/MAR09.htm

Guidelines Relating to the Display of Election Poster:

1. Election posters should only be erected after an election has been declared and a polling date determined.

2. In accordance with the Litter Pollution Act 1997 election posters and ties must be removed within 7 days after polling date. Failure to do so may result in prosecution. The associated fixing arrangement particularly plastic ties must be removed at the same time the poster is being removed.

3. No adhesive or metal fixings are permitted.

4. All posters should be manufactured from cardboard composites or other recyclable materials.

5. The Party or individual responsible for the poster must be clearly indicated on the poster.

6. Posters must not be erected as follows:

a. on lamp standards with overhead line electricity feed,

b. on traffic signal poles,

c. on bridge parapets, overpasses and on pedestrian bridges

d. on roadside traffic barriers

e. on traffic poles or statutory signage of any type including stop, yield, cycletrack, parking control, etc.

f. on Motorways

g. must not obstruct the view of traffic lights or road signs,

h. must not block or obstruct motorists view of pedestrians, i.e. pedestrian barriers, or railings.

7. There should be a minimum clearance of 2.5 metres (8ft) from the lower edge of any poster to ground level and no posters should be placed higher than 6.5 metres (20ft) from the ground.

8. A maximum of two posters per candidate is permitted on any lamp or standard pole.

9. Political parties/independent candidates are reminded that no claims for damages arising from placing, displaying or removal of their posters will lie with the Council and they may consider it appropriate to take out Public Liability Insurance in this regard.

Election posters that do not comply with these conditions or that are erected on Council property prior to the declaration of an election will be removed by the Council. In the event of a breach of the Litter Pollution Act, 1997 prosecutions may be initiated.

After a brief discussion during which John Guckian answered Members queries, the Councillors requested that the Manager examine the possibility of implementing a scheme similar to Dublin City Council’s system whereby posters are removed at a cost to the parties. J. Guckian AGREED to come back to the Members with a report on the feasibility of this scheme in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.

netron

you should come over here to England - zero election posters.

i miss them. there just doesnt seem to be the sense of "event" with the June 4th elections over here.

gandalf

paulmcd1973 wrote: »

What's the point of Election posters? Guerrilla Gardening.

http://www.unitedminds.ie/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=362

Nice work.

Now that is an excellent idea

dresden8

rubadub wrote: »

Still no reply to my email, might send it again in bulk to all the greens I can find, and papers.

Ironically enough the Greens will probably just think you're some sort of environmental crank nut-job.

squonk

Well in relation to Deirdre DeBurca, I'm getting sick of seeig her pasted on every lamp post possible. She, or her supporters, seem to have plastered central Dublin pretty heavilly, and even when I live has more than it's fair share of chances to catch DDB's mug staring at me every day. It really is overboard and you have to wonder, given her platform, if she event hought about how this would look? All the resources involved in creating all those posters etc. Really I wish politicians would get the message that being able to spot a candidate is good, being confronted by that candidate everywhere you go is bad and probably will result in you not getting votes!