We see them everywhere, on the side of the road, on your neighbor's lawn, even strewn about through social media. The local campaign signs have taken over our towns. As election day draws closer, I, am an 18 year-old new voter, keep thinking about what all of those signs mean. "Vote for Bob Nadeau b/c a judge s/b independent" and "Yes on 1."

Well, who are these people and what are these questions? Do I really have the time to find out? And am I voting for them because the marketing is appealing? Between school, work, and daily life activities, finding time to research all of these poll questions is not a top priority. Ask yourself this: You buy cheerio's every time you go to the grocery store. You don't love them, they aren't your favorite, but you still buy them. Why? Is it because of the happy, yellow box it comes in? Or is it because you can't resist a sweet, smiling bee?

This is where marketing comes flying in the door. In a recent survey I conducted consisting of 56 random people, both male and female, between the ages of 18 and 62, 71% said that they are voting on a local level based on what they have seen advertised on signs. Another 23% said they had researched the people and/or the local issue and made a decision based on their findings, while another 6% said they had no interest in the local portion of the election at all.

For the 71% that said they would vote based on advertisement alone, I asked the question "What about the advertisements lead to your decision to vote for a person and/or issue?". The most common answer received was specific to a catchy slogan and trusting colors. For example, "b/c a judge s/b independent" is easy to remember and catchy. I, your friendly, local, new voter, am definitely persuaded by these marketing ploys. Who is really winning your election? The candidate you voted for, or their PR person?