Recruiting help for election day posters
Creatives of Tildes, I'm in dire need of help.
My plan on Nov 5th is to vote, drop my kids off at school, and then go stand next to the heaviest republican-leaning polling location within 20 miles of me until the polls close (with possible break to pick up my kids).
I need a sign. A good sign. I need 1 sign, maybe 1 pamphlet. A final plea to the Republican voter to vote against fascism. It needs to be succinct and thought provoking, but not accusitory. A visual for them to ponder as they walk in the building. Something to inspire even one voter to change their mind about voting R this year. I have ideas, but I am no artist, and not nearly as witty or empathetic as I wish I was.
It will, to the best of my knowledge, be just me. Although I invite you all to join me in spirit at your nearest equivalent.
Here are my ideas so far, but they all feel too wordy.
- Your spouse can't find out you voted for women's rights.
- Don't force my daughter to be on a menstration registry.
- The Republican party abandoned you, It's time for you to abandon them.
- If you replace "Immigrants" with "Jews", Trump sounds a lot like a Nazi.
- I don't like Kamala much, but I trust her to step down if she loses.
- Don't be on the wrong side of history.
Not sure which state you’re in, but make sure you’re not going to violate any of the electioneering prohibitions near polling places with your plan
Must stay 100 ft from entrance, a good pointer.
I was intending to be on the sidewalk median near the parking lot entrance which is almost double that. Definitely avoids both electioneering and private property rules.
Yeah be very careful, and perhaps reach out to the local Dem office because a) they may have signs, b) they may be organizing something similar and c) they may be able to tell you what will get you arrested.
Trump Doesn't Care About You, Only Himself
Might work? Idk what will reach people anymore.
If you’re looking to actually persuade someone you need to think about what is the most persuasive issue and framing for them, not for you.
Abortion and healthcare are Democrat’s best issues. I would also heavily lean into the freedom from government control messaging that has been effective in passing pro-choice referendums in red states.
Something like “keep the government out of your doctor’s office, vote for freedom, vote for Harris.”
If you are in a place with many elderly voters, emphasizing that “Trump’s plans will bankrupt Social Security to give billionaires a tax break. Vote for Harris, save Social Security.” would also be an effective message.
These might be a bit too long for a sign but they’re imo the best messages for persuadable voters.
I think I'd go with the non-inflammatory ones: Your spouse can't find out you voted for women's rights or "Just remember, your spouse can't find out how you voted"
It's a nice last piece of support before they head into the booths. I don't think provocative statements will do anything, but reminding folks that they have agency might.
This is the path that I was thinking would be most effective. To try to stimulate introspection rather than trying to convince. So I ended up writing this, even if it doesn't exactly meet that goal. Not sure I'll be able to get it on a poster though.
I found this moving, but for a poster you want short and sweet.
I think I might give this as a card/handout, but then just have a sign that says:
"Before you vote, I want you to ponder if you are being told the truth"
With this sign, absent other clues, I'd assume you to be a conspiracy theorist unfortunately
Also for a sign it's still not snappy enough,
Before you vote, Know the truth!
I think encouraging people who know what they want or know what they dislike is likely more effective than raising doubts that might take weeks to process.
At this point I'll settle for guilt after the fact, given the astronomically low odds of swaying. If anything, that would have better long-term effects.
It's your call.
Don't get me wrong, this is exactly what I asked for and am grateful to yall for feedback.
My bottom line feedback is that I believe you can potentially change votes if you aim specifically for that but you only have opportunity for one message on your sign
It's a really nice story. Maybe that's your pamphlet?
It is so hard to bridge the political gap, even with folks within my inner circle. I'm struggling with how to have an impact with strangers. Good on you for giving it a go, I'd love to hear how it goes and if things do work well I'd really like to try them where I live too.
This is good, though there might be a clearer way to phrase it. The phrase "can't find out" could be misinterpreted as "You can't risk letting your spouse find out," as opposed to the presumably intended (and much more calming) "Your spouse is unable to find out."
Other than that issue, I love this statement. It's simple, and (unlike the provocative alternatives), it's hard to dispute. Heck, it's very nearly a nonpartisan statement! Obviously there's a partisan intent given the context of this thread, but it's not printed on the sign; I could hold that sign while claiming to be a Trump supporter, and you'd have no way of knowing for sure.
I was thinking about, "Vote for Trump and never get to vote again."
Or the one that blows my mind (because it didn't sink him when it came out),
Edit: I messed around with ChatGPT and got two that were okay.
I don't think any of those phrases will really help to change people's minds except for maybe the first one.
I'm not sure what your sign should say but maybe focus on dispelling the myth of bothsidesism rather than something incendiary
maybe the sign could say "Obamacare is Medicare" or something like that. I think that's a good entry-point and a common misconception that people have
Obamacare is the American Cares Act/ACA, it's not Medicare.
Right, the ACA is much more popular than Obamacare despite being the same thing. (And parts of the ACA are nearly universally preferred) But more false information isn't better.
"Vote Harris so you can spend the rest of your life voting Republican. Vote Trump, and you may never vote again."
Though honestly, I think that's a lost cause. These people are aware that the left thinks he will destroy democracy and simply don't believe it. I think the only hope is to somehow convince them that it's actually Democrats who improve the economy while Republicans reap the benefits for a few years before tanking it, but I don't know how to sum that up into a sign. Maybe some kind of chart?
"Your spouse can't find out you voted for women's rights" only appeals to women, correct? Or is it thinking that men don't want their partners to know they voted for women's rights? I think I get that one, but I also think I'm being a stupid man while reading it.
The reason I mention that is three stories I've heard in the last 5 months, two of them identical.
Two women, of different ages and times, asked the local librarians if there was any way their husbands could find out who they voted for (the one polling place is in the library community room, library has cameras).
My wife joined a knitting group. An 80 year old woman registered for the first time to vote this year because her husband died and he never let her vote.
Pretty insane. That sounds like a strong endorsement for that slogan.
While doing some research for a recent blog post on racism, I read about Robert Paxon's analysis of the Five Stages of Fascism. There's a beautiful illustration crafted by the Council on Foreign Relations.
As a general note, consider taking away his microphone and, instead, emphasize Harris' policies. That is, don't give Voldemort any more time in the spotlight, for the same reason the media has stopped naming people who commit mass shootings. Nickelback has sold 50 million albums. We don't need more Nickelback.
That fascism article was excellent. Thank you.
I hate bumper sticker polemics, but here's a few off the top of my head...
The U.S. economy got worse under every Republican President since 1953.
4,000 lawsuits from contractors and employees. Donald Trump's crimes pay, but he doesn't.
Would you trust Donald Trump with your daughter?