Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Doug Collins

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: The worst part of election campaigns

Sep 18, 2022 | 7:11 AM

THE SIGNS ARE OUT. The city, like all cities leading up to an election of any sort, is strewn with signs.

I’ve always hated the blight they put on the landscape. They are, unfortunately, a necessary evil and aren’t out for a long time.

For candidates seeking election to office, getting your name in the public’s face is critical. There are only a few ways to do that.

Door-knocking is a pain, but very successful. It takes a lot of time, but it can be worth it. Personal contact is the best.

But signs also work and that’s why they’re there.

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And the idea is, I guess, that the more signs you have, the more “impressions“ you make, and the more your name stands out. If you see someone’s name enough, you may at least want to find out more about them.

Coffee sessions, at a person’s home or a restaurant, are also good, and personable candidates can work them to their advantage. But they take planning and pre-promotion.

Some have combined meet-and-greets with fundraisers. Great idea, but again, planning and pre-promotion.

The media has been very creative in how they handle candidate profiles. When they had more resources, the media did a bang-up job. Now they’re limited, and often confined largely to online exposure. Much of the coverage now is limited to looking at candidates’ views on specific campaign issues. We may think they are important — and some are no-brainers — but we often aren’t in tune with what the public considers important. But it’s the best we can do.

The one thing I have always disliked is election “forums.” Despite having planned a few and moderated a few, I have found them to be largely a waste of time. Sometimes there’s a neat gem you can grab for a quote, but largely they provide a little entertainment value but no substance.

As I mentioned last week, many candidates are making good use of the internet, but many older voters don’t know how to use it. So where does that leave us? Back to those bloody signs. Love them or not, we’re going to be inundated with them for the next month. I guess as long as they’re all gone by the 16th of October, we’ll have to be happy with that.

I’m Doug Collins and that’s One Man’s Opinion.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.