To not get the point of those "Vote [Party Name]" boards outside people's houses

[TheIncredibleBookEatingManchot]

I could understand it if they said something about the party's policies or ideology, but they don't. It's just "Vote Labour" or "Vote Conservative."

Has anyone really ever seen one of those boards and thought, "Well, I was going to vote Green but if number 47 want me to vote Ukip, that's what I'll do."

OK, I can see the point of smaller parties advertising the fact that they actually have a candidate in that ward, but why would the "main" parties need to?

It's sad, but I would be ashamed to be publicly affiliated with any of them, each for different reasons. Whereas in the past I've been proud of making my vote,

Plus, chances are DH and I will vote differently

Distracted and star... here too. I keep resisiting the urge to get a sharpie and add 'because I am a twat' to their window posters.
Bestiswest.. does anyone say anything to you? Do you get involved in debate? Is labour the underdog or the champion where you are? .. I am just nosy.

I've always thought the boards were a way to draw attention to themselves, especially in safe areas where they're voting differently. We're in a safe Tory seat and there are a few Labour boards around. I guess it's their way of saying "look neighbour, look at Me Me Me, I'm not a Tory toff like you"

I was saying the same thing the other day. Went through an area with a load of them and turned to DP and said 'I wonder is anyone ever reads these and thinks 'Vote Conservative' oh, yes, that's a good idea, I am glad these boards suggested it'.

Because it is a form of advertising for the party. It shows other people want to vote for a party. It raises the profile of that party. Potentially it could at least trigger others into considering who to vote for or even just to vote at all.

They don't stop the other parties putting leaflets through your door unfortunately. I have one up and I still get leaflets.

Id sooner they were in someone's garden than at the top of our road . If you want to display your political allegiance, do it on your own property. Although I did laugh at the huge penis drawn on one board and that those put on the other side of the road (same party) have all mysteriously gone missing.

I was wondering about it this morning when I was walking home. But at the weekend we had lots of leaflets and door knockers which I didnt mind but I suppose it is a way to stop that.
Most of the ones I saw were labour but the house a few doors down has a big UKIP one and I look at them differently now. The woman who lives there is always really chatty to me and I keep wondering if she knows my Dp is an immigrant .

I got a UKIP leaflet through the door the other day

On one side was a sign saying "I will be voting UKIP...please don't drop any other leaflets through my door " (that's the gist)

I was very tempted at that point to get a large billboard saying "please drop lots of party leaflets through my door as there is no way I'm voting UKIP"

I managed to overcome that temptation

Last night i passed a hedge size (no joke) banner for Snp outside somebodies house and incase we had anydoubt they were voting snp they had a board in their garden i was i dont gettit

We have a labour poster in our window. We're members of the Labour Party so showing our support. We also live on a main bus route, and if our poster gets even just one person thinking about voting labour then it's done its job.

It is the same reason that the parties hire billboards, I doubt anyone has looked at a billboard and changed their mind on the spot, but I suspect the effect is subliminal, that if you wander around and see lots of a particular party's posters, it may influence you or give the impression that the party in question is a presence in your constituency and capable of winning the seat.

Funny you should say that we were on holiday last week to a place i love and thought i would like to live the vote ukip bill boards kinda put me off the living there dream

I never gave them a second thought until the referendum made my local town turn blue and yellow with giant YES and SNP wooden signs, banners and stickers. I only ever saw 1 NO sign in a house.

At the last minute the neighboring farms put up large NO banners and I was tempted for the first time ever to put up a NO sign but I then saw the banners get first covered in graffiti then burned or smashed.

Many people on FB were thrilled at how the town looked and how it was a sure indicator of a landslide victory but it was actually one of the larger NO majority areas. It is now an indicator of in the minds of the YES people of government corruption and falsified vote counting

I know I won't ever put a sign up now since I don't want my family/ house targeted in any way. Victory for the mindless thugs

The UKIP ones are handy for finding out which of your neighbours are twats.

Advertising-if there are a lot of them it makes the party look popular. It hopes to influence the undecided.

So these are put up by normal people, on their houses? Are they also randomly put on lamp posts too, as that is how it works here - they are put up the parties, not residents.

There was a massive 'Vote UKIP' banner at a roundabout on my way to work.

Or there was until someone sprayed FUCK UKIP in black letters on it.

I laughed. So much I had to pull over into a lay-by.

I quite like seeing them when I'm around and about, gives me a general gist of what an area is like. I've only seen one UKIP poster in the window of a house around the corner so I know they're twats . Other than that they're ALL labour or lib dem. Not one Tory which made me feel proud. I was on the bus the other day and every house on one street bar one or two had a labour sign so at least those neighbours are in agreement!

Try having this charming person living nearby, he has an entire frigging billboard to show his devotion to ukip. He's ranting about Europe on it atm, I feel sorry for the house next door which is for sale I wonder why

I do drive by wondering why you would make such a public declaration that you're a bit of a twat.

I live in a rural constituency, and if you only ever drove through without stopping you'd think it was a die-hard Tory seat, as most of the fields next to the roads have big Conservative hoardings next to the hedging. When you get into the town where people actually live, the name boards and posters are a much more mixed bag, which is reassuring in a misleading kind of way.

My DH has cable tied a big SNP board to our front fence, doesnt bother me and its just to show support.

We haven't had any canvassers yet, (Tory safe seat), but the other day I heard the rattle of the letterbox, and DD running to pick whatever it was up. She then ran through to me shrieking, "Mummy, someone's stuffed some rubbish through our letterbox!" It was a UKIP leaflet. I was so proud!

Was thinking about this at the weekend. I can't see how it helps any of the parties. We've got swathes of farmland with conservative signs that only serve to emphasise the perception Tories own all the land.

Our local labour candidate lives on one of the wealthiest streets in the city and his boards stand out on an otherwise Tory dominated (in sign terms) street. All that does is make me think he says one thing but does whatever lines his pocket most (I'm probably wrong but that's the conclusion I leap to) and UKIP signs (generally, not exclusively) seem to be in the less salubrious areas, exacerbating the stereotype of UKIP voters.

I'm yet to see a Green Party sign on a drive with 2 4litre cars on it, but it's probably out there.

Like OP said, it's not going to make me vote seeing a sign, can only count against them.

Where my parents live, just down the road are two houses opposite each other.
One has a huge bill board of UKIP and the other a same size conservative billboard.
I expect pistols at dawn...
Ridiculous!!

I've only seen 3 boards up. 2 for labour and 1 for UKIP.

I did get a UKIP leaflet through the door, I let DD rip it up.