Please make them stop knocking at my door!

May 30, 2008 4:14 PM

Is there such a thing as a "NO POLITICS" doorsign?

We have a "NO SOLICITING" sign prominently displayed right by our doorbell. This tends to keep away the sales types. It does not, however, stop incessant political campaigners from knocking on our door. When I point out the "NO SOLICITING" sign, they invariably say "But I'm not selling anything!".

So, in the absence of a barbed wire fence, broken glass strewn across my porch, or a moat, does there exist some sort of sign that says "NO POLITICAL SOLICITATION" or something of that ilk, so that I can stop being bothered once a day by someone trying to not sell me a politician? I can't find one anywhere.

I'd probably be OK with making one, but I'd like to see if one exists first.

posted by pdb to home & garden (18 comments total)

"Bother me, and I vote /against/ your politician."
posted by cmiller at 4:32 PM on May 30

well, you could always post "No Trespassing" signs at regular intervals along the border of your property

and there's the old bucket of water balanced on the lintel
posted by jammy at 4:38 PM on May 30

I looked for one online, and I can't find one. Not surprising to me because in my mind, "no solicitation" means no solicitation of any kind, whether it's sales, religious, or political.

I was going to suggest an idea to put on a homemade sign, but cmiller beat me to it. Except I might change the wording to "ring my bell/knock on my door, and your candidate will NOT get my vote." Because I guarantee someone will be all, "but I don't mean to bother you!"
posted by AlisonM at 4:39 PM on May 30

I think it's smart to make a special "no politics" or "no political solicitation" sign -- what exactly it says matters less, as long as it gets your message across - and I'm sure folks will happily skip your door. I've done a lot of canvassing, and as long as I know that someone doesn't want me to stop at their door, I don't want to stop there. But a lot of "no soliciting" people seem happy to talk -- as long as I'm not trying to get money out of them (which I'm not) -- so it's best to specify it somehow...
posted by rdn at 4:49 PM on May 30

I ended up going for "DO NOT DISTURB." It was the only thing that worked. I just had to tell my (good) neighbours they were welcome to knock any time. .
posted by Listener at 5:02 PM on May 30

I've seen "No Canvassing" and "No Canvassers or Solicitors" signs in my neighbourhood.
posted by ten pounds of inedita at 5:44 PM on May 30

I did blockwalking for candidates and it's mixed on whether people consider it soliciting. Very many people did not; they are not asking you to buy anything, and a lot of people with no soliciting signs were very excited to have political people knock on their door. I live in a very political city, but all the same, the point is that in many people's minds, soliciting is not the same. It often just means "don't ask me for money" rather than "leave me alone."

Put a sign -- handmade or otherwise -- on your door that says "No canvasing." They will not bother you then. And I'm pretty sure those signs exist premade.
posted by Nattie at 5:54 PM on May 30

I think that religious and political door-to-doorers are protected, so that even if your municipality has a "Do Not Solicit" list that you could sign up for, they don't have to follow those rules. The "No Canvassing" suggestion might make them reconsider.
posted by Addlepated at 6:33 PM on May 30

Just an FYI, if you went by the Wikipedia definition of soliciting, political canvassing doesn't count, because they're not demanding money for services. YMMV.
posted by blue_beetle at 7:40 PM on May 30

I once saw a large, weird, professionally made sign that proclaimed its inhabitants were "a CATHOLIC family and does not need or want information about other faiths or belief systems!"

I never forgot that wording. So I guess you could put up something similar ... but while it's not guaranteed to stop anyone, it is guaranteed to make you look a bit like a crank.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:08 PM on May 30

I once saw a large, weird, professionally made sign that proclaimed its inhabitants were "a CATHOLIC family and does not need or want information about other faiths or belief systems!"

My dad's standard response to door-knockers (in the assumption that they were Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses) was 'Catholic. [slam]' What the double-glazing salesmen thought, I don't know.

I love the Dutch junk mail stickers, and they could easily be adapted.
posted by holgate at 10:41 PM on May 30

"Political Canvasers: I will listen to your spiel about your candidate for $250.

Knocking on my door serves as acceptance of above terms."


Send any who knock away with a copy of an invoice -- another to be mailed to the HQ.
posted by toomuchpete at 11:23 PM on May 30

Canvassing is the name of the activity you're trying to stop, and No Canvassing signs exist because you're not the only one it annoys. But ignorance being what it is, you might get better results from a sign that says "If I don't already know you, please don't knock on my door".

On preview: toomuchpete wins.
posted by flabdablet at 11:29 PM on May 30

I think the Electromark OSHA Safety Sign Creator is just the tool for your job. Here's an a example I quickly whipped up for you.
posted by klarck at 1:34 AM on May 31 [3 favorites]

Political canvassers will actually thank you for putting up a "No Canvassing" sign -- it saves them from bothering with you and leaves them more time to talk to your neighbor.

"Bother me and I vote for your opponent" signs really sum up how broken democracy is in this country. You can't have an abortion or afford college anymore? Don't worry -- at least you really showed that canvasser what's what!
posted by gum at 7:31 AM on May 31 [2 favorites]

Thanks for all the ideas, I'll probably end up making my own sign....
posted by pdb at 9:54 AM on May 31

I had a sign made up that reads:

No Soliciting
No Petitioning
No Preaching

People get the point that they just shouldn't bother me, no matter what they have to offer.
posted by Nabubrush at 4:12 PM on May 31

StickerGiant used to have a sign for sale that had a stick figure (of the traditional street sign sort) holding a book with a cross, and the whole thing had the No symbol. I can't find it now but yes, they most definitely do exist.
posted by IndigoRain at 5:43 PM on June 1