Election Season: What Every Candidate Needs

Election season is here. If you’re running for office — city council, school board, county supervisor, state assembly, or anything else on the ballot — the next few months are going to move fast. Your print materials need to be ready before the race heats up, not after.

Here’s a practical guide to what you actually need, what works, and what most first-time candidates get wrong.

Start With Yard Signs — But Understand What They Do

Yard signs are the most visible and debated tool in local campaigns. The honest answer on whether they work: yes, but not in the way most candidates think.

Yard signs don’t persuade voters. A person who was going to vote for your opponent doesn’t see your sign and switch. What signs do is build name recognition — and in low-information local races, name recognition is everything.

Voters walking into a booth for a school board race often have no information about the candidates. They vote for the name that sounds familiar. Yard signs make your name familiar.

Get them up early. The candidate who has signs up three weeks before everyone else owns the visual narrative of that neighborhood. Once signs are up, pull them down only if they’re damaged or in violation of local ordinances.

Door Hangers: The Most Underused Tool in Local Campaigns

Door hangers are more personal than mailers, cheaper than canvassing, and more durable than a phone call. When a voter finds one on their door, they know a real person from your campaign was on their street. That human element matters.

A good door hanger includes your name, your photo (familiarity matters), two or three key positions, your website or a QR code, and a clear reason to vote for you. Print on heavy stock — a flimsy door hanger communicates a flimsy campaign.

Direct Mail: Still the Most Targeted Tool Available

You can buy a voter file for your district. That file tells you who is registered, which party they belong to, and — critically — who actually shows up to vote.

A targeted mailer to high-propensity voters in your district is one of the most efficient uses of campaign money available. You’re not broadcasting to everyone — you’re talking directly to the people who will actually decide the race.

Send at least two mailers: one introduction piece early in the campaign, and one closing argument in the final week.

Banners for Events and High-Traffic Locations

If you’re speaking at a forum, attending a community event, or want a presence at a busy intersection, a retractable banner stand or large-format vinyl banner puts your name and face in the room at scale.

For outdoor placement, 4×8 coroplast signs are more visible than standard yard signs and work well at busy intersections where larger format commands attention from passing cars.

Bumper Stickers and Palm Cards

Bumper stickers are social proof on wheels. When voters see multiple stickers for the same candidate in a neighborhood, it creates the perception of momentum — even if the underlying numbers don’t yet reflect it. People are influenced by what they perceive their neighbors to believe.

Palm cards are what volunteers hand out at doors and events. Small enough to fit in a pocket, heavy enough to feel substantial. Include your key message and a call to action — visit your website, attend an event, or simply vote.

The Materials Most Candidates Order Too Late

Yard signs. Door hangers. Every campaign orders these too late. Standard production is 7–10 business days. If you’re ordering the week before you want them out, you’re already behind.

Order your first run of signs and door hangers at least 6 weeks before you need them deployed. Order a second run if the first goes faster than expected. Running out of signs in the final two weeks of a campaign is a preventable problem.

Design Matters More Than Candidates Think

Your print materials are a proxy for your competence as a candidate. Cluttered, hard-to-read, amateurish materials signal disorganization. Clean, professional materials signal that you run a tight ship — which is exactly what voters want in someone who’s going to manage a budget or represent their interests.

Keep it simple. Name big. Photo if appropriate. One key message. Your office sought. Nothing else.