An influx of Democratic yard signs could signal a shift toward a bluer Johnson County, even if the signs don’t align with party affiliation.

The potential shift is evident in a seven-block stretch of Overland Park — represented by Republican Rep. Carl Turner — where more than half of the 90 political signs favor Democrats. Only 29% of registered voters in the district are Democrats, compared to 46% Republicans.

Democrat Ace Allen is challenging Turner again this year after losing to Turner by just 60 votes in 2022. Allen said requests for his yard sign have doubled from his campaign two years ago.

“The encouraging thing about a sign in a yard, as opposed to signs on the street, is that they actually point to a voter,” Allen said.

Turner did not respond to requests for an interview.

Knowing a name can help

A 2015 Columbia University study found that the candidate with more street signs has an advantage and that street signs can contribute 1-2% of the vote. The study found that road signs can be the deciding factor in local races.

“It doesn’t necessarily matter that the yard signs equal votes. But they can have an impact on voters who see them and potentially help candidates,” said Bob Beatty, a political science professor at Washburn University. “They will have positive associations with that name, and if they don’t know much about it when they go to the voting booth, they might end up voting for that candidate just because they knew that name.”

Turner and Allen are donating their signs to display. Former President Donald Trump sells yard signs for $24 and Vice President Kamala Harris for $20.

Among homes where political signs were posted in Turner’s neighborhood, it was much more common to see Harris signs than Trump signs. Beatty attributes this to the new energy and enthusiasm Harris brought to the campaign.

A “battle engaged”

Traci Nauser, who posted five Harris signs in her yard, is one of the residents of Turner’s neighborhood. She is also an abortion provider whose lawsuit led to the Kansas Supreme Court’s 2019 decision, which determined that the right to bodily autonomy enshrined in the state constitution includes the right to terminate a pregnancy.

Nauser’s signs include one from the Harris campaign and others from other sources, like Etsy, with phrases like “Who is the best role model for your child?” » on them. Nauser said she has never had a negative interaction with a neighbor because of her signs and has received compliments on them, mostly for the pattern sign.

Nauser said she noticed there were fewer signs in her neighborhood compared to the 2016 and 2020 elections. She noticed more signs of Trump than Clinton or Biden in the past, but now she mostly sees signs Democrats. She says this change is due to Trump.

“He’s a pathological liar and a fascist, and he took away women’s reproductive rights,” Nauser said. “I think it’s a huge problem.”

No one opened the door to houses where Trump signs were posted.

Beatty finds the decline in Trump signs harder to explain. He said that over the past eight years, Trump supporters have been proud to show their support.

“Arguably, perhaps for the first time since 2016, Democrats are not shy about doing the same thing,” Beatty said. “Maybe it’s not that there are a lot fewer signs of Trump, it’s just that for the first time since 16, the battle is on.”

Beatty believes there is a “very high” likelihood that Johnson County will turn bluer in this election. Clinton lost the county by 2.5 percentage points in 2016And Biden won it by 8.2 points in 2020. Beatty said abortion rights are one of the main reasons Johnson County could turn blue again.

Signs reading “Love thy neighbor,” “Do unto others,” “Unity,” and “Kindness” are dotted among the political signs. These are from the Church of the Resurrection – the largest church in Kansas.

Church founder and senior pastor Adam Hamilton has never publicly supported a political candidate. He has long championed LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Church and declared himself “pro-life with a heavy heart” in 2022. In 2020, he supported the Black Lives Matter movement and used his churches as a vaccination site.

The church’s signs were exclusively associated with the Allen and Harris signs.

This story was originally published by the Kansas Reflector