First I noticed them in one of David Kunkle’s low-budge black-and-white yard signs on Gaston: two big holes on either side of the “FOR” in “KUNKLE FOR MAYOR” that looked like eyes. Then I noticed another Kunkle sign, this one on Mockingbird, had the same kind of holes. Then I saw one of city council candidate James Nowlin’s blue yard signs had two triangles sort of haphazardly cut out of them. This puzzled me for a time, and then during a bike ride, while I was almost being knocked over by the wind, I realized — that’s what the holes were for. To keep the signs from being blown over. I asked Tim about it. He confirmed my guess with his own guess.
Dear FrontBurnervians, already running out the shot clock on another gray day, are we right? (About this, at least. Don’t take that question too broadly. Tim is generally wrong, and I am hesitant to be painted with the same brush just because we sit near each other and I happened to include him in this post, when I could have easily lied and said I was talking about this with, I don’t know, Krista, I guess, or I could have just sort of glossed over the whole thing and said “a co-worker” or just left out that part entirely. I mean, it’s not like it is germane to the rest of the post. I included him because that’s how this all went down.)
9 comments
You are correct. Campaigns have all but totally moved to the foam core board for both the yard signs as well as the bigger 4×4 and larger variants. Given that these are generally displayed somewhere prominent without any obstruction for visibility they are also very susceptible to wind and if not well secured and ventilated don’t last too long.
Covered, here by that curious neighbor, Emily Toman on April 13th: http://prestonhollow.advocatemag.com/2011/04/near-preston-and-forest-why-there-are-eye-holes-in-david-kunkles-campaign-sign/
Like you, I eventually arrived at the guess that the holes had to do with wind. But I still enjoy my first two guesses more, that a) they are cutouts for faces of people who want to take their pictures with the sign (or as the sign, as it were) similar to the American Gothic painting cutouts that allow you to place your face where the face of the farmer would be, or b) that the eye-shaped negative space on either side of the “for” in the Kunkle sign was supposed to the refer to the ever-vigilant gaze of the former police chief who will watch over us and be our lord and protector if he becomes mayor.
But yeah, it’s probably just because of wind. But that doesn’t mean you and Tim still can’t go take your photo with your faces in the holes.
@PeterS: I actually did think it was option B for a while, but that someone was doing it guerilla-style to come to that same sort of Big Brother comment on Kunkle, except from the negative side. And yes, I prefer that answer much, much more than “wind.”
I thought they were where the hanging chads used to be.
Those holes are deflection shields for when you have to take a piss…sorry ladies, I know it’s a bit tougher for y’all to use em. Maybe, we can bring this up at the next debate.
You are correct, sir.
I’ve worked elections since 1990…the holes are new-ish. It’s hard (expensive, and many local printers “can’t/won’t”) to have them pre-drilled, so a lot of them are punched after printing. The HQ staff field a lot of complaint calls when the signs “tear up” a lawn or flower bed. Kudos to the Dallas mayoral field so far for not having sign stealing, sign swapping, and anonymous requests to place signs at donors of big money supporters of the opposition. *very funny* (Aka, another day in Rome…)
I don’t accept the wind answer.
That wasn’t the question!!!!!!!!!!!