Yard Sign Routing

The Yard Sign Problem

In Kansas, campaigns can put up yard signs 45 days before an election, and they must remove them 2 days after. Campaigns want signs up for as long as possible for maximum visibility, and the ability to deploy signs, know where they are, and pick them up quickly is crucial.

Because no canvassing tool currently on the market offers routing for yard signs, campaigns today have to keep track of their signs on paper or text individual addresses to volunteers.

Flip solves this by turning sign requests into optimized routes, the same way it handles canvassing.

Three Phases, One System

1

Build the List

Simply upload your list of addresses into Flip's yard sign routing feature. If you used Flip to canvass, volunteers tap "Wants yard sign" while door-knocking and the list will compile automatically.

2

Sign Placement

Your campaign coordinator generates optimized driving routes from the canvass sign request list, then texts volunteers their route assignments. While they're out, volunteers use Flip to keep track of which yard signs were placed. Real-time updates keep coordinators in the loop.

3

Sign Pickup

After the election, Flip generates a pickup route from only the addresses where signs were confirmed placed.

4

Repeat!

45 days before the general election, your optimized routes are already good to go! The entire cycle runs the same way every time, so campaigns never have to rebuild their process from scratch.

Canvass Data
or Address Upload

→

Sign Address
List

→

Placement
Route

→

Confirmed
Placed ✓

→

Pickup
Route

The pickup route is built from confirmed placements only. These are signs that were actually put in the ground, not every address on the original list.

How It Works

1

Upload: If using Flip for door-knocking, volunteers tap "Wants yard sign" on supportive households. Requests are captured in real time alongside all other canvass outcomes with no separate process. Alternatively, upload a CSV of addresses directly, the same way you'd start any walk canvass. Both paths produce the same result: a list of addresses ready for routing.

2

Generate: The sign address list goes through the same route optimization engine used for walk canvasses. Addresses are clustered by geography and ordered for minimal driving time.

3

Share: The coordinator texts volunteers a link to their assigned route. They'll get a driver-optimized view with just the address, a navigate button, and three outcome buttons (Placed, Changed mind, Not placed). The interface is built for someone moving by car, not on foot.

4

Track: Every stop's outcome is recorded. After the election, Flip generates a pickup route from only the addresses where a sign was confirmed Placed.

5

Collect: Pickup works the same as placement. Volunteers tap an outcome at each stop (Picked up, Not found, or Left in place if the homeowner is keeping it). The coordinator sees real-time progress and knows exactly where every sign ended up.

Sign Outcomes

Placement

Placed: sign installed
Changed Mind: homeowner declined
Not Placed: couldn't deliver

Pickup

Picked Up: sign collected
Not Found: sign missing
Left in Place: homeowner keeping it

Why It Matters

Thousands of signs going up in one weekend can be a powerful statement for your campaign. On the flip side, a neighborhood full of old signs left up too long damages your brand and can violate local ordinances.

With Flip, the entire sign lifecycle runs through the same system your canvassers already use. With no separate spreadsheet, memory-based pickup runs or manual address input, you can be sure you're getting the most out of every sign.

"[Flip's] routing program brought incredible efficiency to our volunteer team this morning. In about 6 hours in the rain, 12 volunteers placed over 300 yard signs across Kansas House District 33."
- KS HD 33 Carolyn Caiharr campaign