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Washington Evening Journal
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A look at Washington County’s campaign signs
We asked out-of-county artists to review candidate’s front yard promotional materials. Here’s what they said.
WASHINGTON — Almost every local race on the ballot in Washington County’s June 4 primary is set to go uncontested, with the exception of a contest for the District 2 County Supervisor.
In the state legislature, Republican Sen. Dawn Driscoll and Rep. Heather Hora are the only members of their party on the ballot, teeing them up for a general race in November against Democrats Ed Chabal and Anna Banowsky, respectively, both also running unopposed in their party.
Every county-level candidate is Republican, and aside from the above-mentioned supervisor race, all are similarly uncontested. The list of campaigns include Attorney Nathan Repp and Sheriff Jared Schneider, both running for re-election. Supervisors Jack Seward Jr. and Stan Stoops are on the ballot as well, although neither of them have campaign signs made.
Washington County Auditor Candidate Tammy Stewart has around 50 signs placed, mostly in Washington and Riverside, but The Union did not acquire a photo of one before press time.
In lieu of candidate profiles for these non-competitive races, The Southeast Iowa Union has gathered their campaign signs and contacted a handful of visual arts professionals from outside of Washington County’s electoral area, to get their professional feedback on the lineup.
Anna Kahn is the graphic design coordinator for Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City. She’s also a former graphic designer for The News, Kalona’s weekly paper, but does not live in Washington County.
Jordan Whitney is GM of Whitney Monument Works in Fairfield, where he represents the sixth generation of the business which has long designed memorial carvings and headstones.
Phil Geiser is a board member of Mount Pleasant Arts IMPACT, a nonprofit that supports local art and artists. He’s also a photographer.
The Union asked each of these professionals to rate the signs on a scale from 1-5, and to explain their ratings. Here’s what they had to say.
Heather Hora for State House
Heather Hora is a Republican finishing her first two-year term in the Iowa House. She’s also a prominent farmer in Washington County. Hers was the best-rated campaign sign, with all but one reviewer giving it five stars.
Average rating:
4.67/5
Insight:
Geiser: (4/5) “Reverse-printed posters (dark background and light lettering) can be attention-getters. This overall design is straightforward and simple. My suggestion would be to enlarge the first name a bit but still keep the printing centered in a line right down the middle.”
Kahn: (5/5) “Good clean design and good colors. It’s effective and simple. Information is organized well, I think it definitely stands out among the rest.”
Anna Banowsky for State House
Anna Banowsky is the Democrat running for Iowa House. She is pursuing a master’s degree in anthropology at the University of Iowa, and has a bachelor’s degree in political science.
Average rating:
3.34/5
Insight:
Whitney: (3/5) “A pretty good design, but I would think the last name should be the main focus, not the first. And the colors don't catch your eye as much as some red mixed in.”
Dawn Driscoll for State Senate
Dawn Driscoll is on the Republican ticket for the Iowa Senate. The sixth-generation farmer from Williamsburg raises cattle with her family, and has chaired the lawmaking body’s agriculture committee.
Average rating: 3.67/5
Insight:
Whitney: (3/5) “Not super eye-catching, but the large red letters do get the name into the mind.”
Geiser: (5/5) “Nice, bold and patriotic colors. Large, easy-to-read text in a clear, bold font. I think signs for someone running for a state office need to feature the shape of the state as part of the design. This sign can easily be seen and understood from a reasonably far distance from the viewer, so it works some distance from the roadway for casual drivers passing by.”
Ed Chabal for State Senate
Ed Chabal is a school finance director living in Washington, working in Mt. Pleasant. He’s on the Democratic ticket for the Iowa Senate this November. He’s also a volunteer at Washington’s film fest, a former soccer coach and is his church’s treasurer.
Average rating:
3.34/5
Insight:
Kahn: (4/5) “Love the emphasis on ‘Ed’, and I like the colors. I think it is one of the better designs, it’s very clean and easy to read.”
Whitney: (2/5) said he wasn’t a fan of the first-name emphasis, and that “the lettering stands out even less against the blue background.”
Nathan Repp for County Attorney
Republican Nathan Repp was appointed in March of 2023 to replace departing Washington County Attorney John Gish. He now seeks re-election to keep holding the office.
Average rating:
2.67/5
Insight:
Geiser: (3/5) “Bold simplicity at its best. Here we are apparently making a name association between Repp and County Attorney. Some people with color vision challenges, under some light conditions, may have difficulty distinguishing the colored name ‘Nathan’ against that background color.”
Jared Schneider for County Sheriff
Washington County Sheriff Jared Schneider, a Republican, is running for re-election. He’s served in the position since 2017.
Average rating:
2.34/5
Insight:
Kahn: (2/5) “I think the yellow on blue isn’t the greatest choice. I don’t like the star. I don’t like the use of fonts, I think the font chosen for his name is unattractive. I think there’s too much going on with the design too and it should be simplified.”
Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com
