Do we need election posters?

Election posters were erected across Waterford last week, heralding the commencement of the 30-day countdown to the upcoming local and European elections.

Overnight, streetlights, overpasses and poles became home for the smiling faces of election hopefuls, all seeking to entice potential voters.

The posters can only be erected thirty days before the polls open and failure to remove them within seven days after the polling date is an offence. Additionally, posters cannot be displayed within fifty metres of a polling station.

A number of councillors in the Dungarvan/Lismore district of the county have decided to not use posters in their local election campaigns. The move was done in an attempt to ditch single use plastics, and a number of councillors in the area cited that posters were not necessary.

Potential voters in Waterford were asked last week if they feel election posters are still needed.

David Taffe said, “I don’t mind the posters going up, but they need to be taken down straight away after the election. Sometimes elections posters go up and they’re still up a month or two after the election ends.

Jack Morrissey and PJ Bolger said that the digital age may have signified the end of posters. They said:  “I don’t think they need election posters anymore and I think putting up posters is wasteful. One simple post on Instagram will reach more people than a poster will nowadays.

Keith Daniels said, “I know in the world of social media people might say they’re not needed, but at the same time the candidates are trying to get the word out, and make their faces familiar to people, and that’s what posters do. So I think the face on the pole is still needed, especially for the older generation who don’t use social media If it could be recycled it would be a good thing, they’re made of plastic so I think in the future they could be made of a recyclable material.