I’m immensely pleased to announce my candidacy as a Republican candidate for State Representative, from Merrimack County, District 5 (Andover, Danbury, Hill, Salisbury, and Webster). Deeply touched by random strangers thanking me for my public service, it has been a great privilege to serve in this capacity for the past two years, and I seek to earn your vote in the 2024 General Election, held on November 5. 

Though it is “off to the races,” lyrics from a 1970s, one-hit wonder song, “Sign,” performed by the Five Man Electrical Band, always comes to my mind when seeing highways and byways unnecessarily littered with scads of certain candidates’ signage, such as: “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign, blocking out the scenery, breaking’ my mind/ Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?”

As with taxes, campaign signs could be considered a “necessary evil” — but out of respect for the inhabitants of District 5 towns, and to help preserve the incredible beauty of our rural landscapes, in 2022 I restricted myself to only five, strategically-placed signs per town. I plan to do exactly the same this campaign season. After all, if you’ve seen one sign, you’ve seen them all, right?

A campaign tactic having only a small percentage point of influence on voter share (according to various studies 1.7 to 2.5 percent), I saw no need to smother well-traveled neighborhood routes with clusters of concentrated signage — while believing the adverse aesthetic could end up annoying (if not actually offending) the voters I sought to attract on voting day.

There is no denying that word-of-mouth is the best form of (free) advertising and that the same holds true for attaining name recognition that goes hand-in-hand with walking the walk. The hallmark of a true Republican (and like-minded Independents) is conservatism which, to me, means personally practicing frugality; while as a public servant, combating lavish spending; restricting the growth of government; upholding the rule of law; protecting property and parental rights; and defending traditional institutions.

With that said, and to spare residents and travelers from what can be considered eyesores — in lieu of plastering your town with my campaign signs, all I ask is that you remember DEBORAH AYLWARD on voting day, and when speaking with friends or neighbors ahead of time, please remind them that DEBORAH AYWARD has strived to hold the feelings, wishes, rights, and traditions of others in due regard, and will continue to do so as their representative when re-elected. Remember VOTE FOR TWO and may God bless you, yours, and America!