We know that yard signs create conversations, and conversations can cut Republican margins.
There are millions of Democrats in rural America. We just don’t see each other in our communities.
When you feel like you’re the only Democrat in the community, it can be tough to get involved in politics.
But the truth is, there are millions of Democrats in rural America. We just don’t see each other in our communities.
That’s why we are sending yard signs to rural volunteers organizing on tough turf in critical battleground states, and we need your help.
Right now, we have hundreds of volunteers in over 140 small towns and rural communities across Wisconsin and Pennsylvania who have signed up to distribute yard signs to their families, friends, and neighbors in support of democratic values and Democratic candidates.
In just a few weeks, we have recruited over 700 volunteers across 384 communities in Ohio, Montana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. These volunteers have already placed thousands of yard signs—and we’re just getting started.
This election cycle, political campaigns plan to spend millions of dollars on TV ads. But we know that what a community says about a candidate is more important than what a candidate says to a community–especially on television.
Rural voters who support Democratic candidates need to know they’re not alone so they feel comfortable talking to their friends, family, and neighbors about the November election.
We know that yard signs create conversations, and conversations can cut Republican margins.
Over the last few months, we have conducted field experiments and found that each sign in a yard generates 4 to 6 conversations. These organic conversations between friends, family, and neighbors are the foundation for our strategy to turn out rural voters who support democratic values and Democratic candidates in November.
During the next 160 days, we will engage over 170,000 rural Democratic-leaning voters across the five battleground states of Ohio, Montana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. We’re specifically targeting communities with fewer than 45,000 people, the places most often ignored by Democratic campaigns.
We have built our campaign in two phases. The first phase will end in July 2024. During this phase, we will place signs with pro-democratic values. The second phase, beginning in August 2024, will place signs supporting Democratic candidates.
Here’s an overview of our work this year.
Over the next 160 days, we will engage over 170,000 rural Democratic-leaning voters across the five battleground states of Ohio, Montana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. We’re specifically targeting communities with a total population of fewer than 45,000.
We aim to recruit 10 percent of these voters (15,000) to have 75,000 organic conversations with their friends, families, and neighbors about voting for Democratic candidates. These conversations will be initiated by these voters when they place yard signs on their own lawns or private property.
Over the last several months, we have already placed over 16,000 yard signs in Ohio, Montana, and Michigan through a series of small field experiments.
Based on the field experiments, we found that each sign in a yard generates between 4 and 6 conversations. With a strong volunteer network, signs can be placed in a yard for less than $5.00 per sign. This means each organic conversation costs less than a dollar.
Our campaign is reaching voters outside the Democratic bubble. 85% of the volunteers already putting up signs through our campaign are not volunteering with other local groups or the Democratic Party. In Montana, the average partisan score of these volunteers is 45.5, but they are motivated to put up signs supporting “democratic values and Democratic candidates.”
Our campaign is up and running in Ohio, Montana, and Michigan. However, we’re working to raise more funds by the end of the second quarter to fully launch in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.