Homemade signs usually can be put out any place a campaign sign is allowed as well. All that is usually required is that somewhere on the sign it says who paid for it. "Paid for by Private Citizens" is often all that is needed. This disclaimer could be printed on a self-stick label that works with computer printers. Check your local sign ordinances.

You will be hard pressed to find a candidate who will publicly endorse a sign such as is shown below, as this often creates negative press. Yet most candidates will discretely give out their yard signs if they approve of the signs you propose to put out. It is common practice to distribute yard signs to volunteers. A campaign has little control what happens after that. There are indications these signs work. Greenville County was the only county that Lindsey Graham lost to Buddy Witherspoon in the 2008 South Carolina Senate race. Greenville County is the only county that the signs shown below were put out in any quantity. There were other factors involved but the signs probably helped.

If an opposing campaign doesn't put out signs you could probably request signs from them and put them out yourself. This does raise an ethical question though. You definitely would want the candidate you support to know your intentions. They will gladly give you signs to put out with a nod and a wink if they want you to do it. Ethically should you let the opposing campaign know your intentions? Usually the opposing campaign is an incumbent as they have to have some type of record to find our where they stand. Incumbents go to great lengths to hide their stances. They do this as they don’t want voters to know their true stance on many issues. If you tell them you plan to put their signs out and then come back and put their opponents sign and your homemade sign out next to theirs a little later, the incumbent probably wouldn’t give you the sign. Technically the incumbent has given you permission if they are like many of the incumbents in Washington. Usually incumbents are on the record for transparency in Government and claim that they want their constituents to know where they stand on the issues. Technically they have already given their permission to put signs like what is shown above out as it only educating their constituents as they claim they want. Unfortunately this claim of wanting transparency is often a lie. This can create a bit of an ethical quandary as they really don't want their constituents to know where they stand. If you plan to do this, hopefully the incumbent will have signs put out otherwise you will have to make that decision

If you have the time to make your own signs, you can often purchase sign supplies, ink and a stencil for very little money. Phrases like those shown below can be purchased as a one-piece stencil.

One Language or two?
Pratt or Clyburn?

GOOGLE - "Jim Clyburn, Amnesty"

It is not much of a change from a protest sign to a public education sign. Activists can put up different types of homemade signs on private property. Clicking the "button" below will show several examples.

Another area the Tea Parties could make a difference in is to act as delivery people for campaigns within driving distance that are competitive. In our area Jim Lee made a very effective primary challenge for the little amount of money he raised. One of the key components was that he was able to tap into the large number of people that had time to contribute but not much money. His most successful tactic was to write a small newspaper. This allowed him to generate a large amount of information for very little investment in the cost to have them printed. The trick was getting the delivery cost very low by having volunteers deliver the newspapers. In some places they went door to door and in other places they simply drove by and tossed them out the window. For example in our area Tea Parties that live in congressional Districts 1,3 and 4 would probably have more effect on changing Washington by arranging to have volunteers drive to one of the competitive districts and deliver the newspapers. This would be a huge benefit to the candidate they are helping as the cost of delivery is by far the biggest expense. It would educate the voters as to the stance of the incumbent on illegal immigration and other issues.

Activists can put out signs on different issues?
Illegal immigration was chosen here as it is a hot topic.