Does your lawn sign matter?

According to a recent study published in Electoral Studies, lawn signs can have a small impact on election outcomes. 

This is contrary to the opinion of many campaign workers that lawn signs make no difference whatsoever.

As a Massachusetts Democratic Party member told the Atlantic in 2012, “There's a very common saying among political operatives: 'Lawn Signs Don't Vote.' A lot of signs might be a sign that a candidate is doing well, but they're not doing well because of those signs.” 

The researchers worked with four different campaigns to use law signs in some voting precincts and not others.  Precincts with lawn signs saw a 1.7% boost in vote outcomes (with a 0.7% margin of error).

However, there was variation in the impact of lawn signs.  For example, lawn signs placed at home seemed to be less effective than law signs on public property.

The study is also the first of its kind, so the results should not be overstated.

Do you have a lawn sign for a presidential candidate in your yard?  Share your experiences in the comments below.