What I know about dream analysis could fit on my little fingernail, but I do know my subconscious was getting a good scrubbing. Lawn signs are front and center in my psyche these days. One of my relatives is seeking elective office. Ethics prevent me from participating in the campaign and writing directly about the candidate. So I try to stay somewhat detached.

But then there are the lawn signs. They are stacked along a wall in our garage, waiting patiently for the co-owner of the house to distribute them on behalf of the candidate. They greet me when I walk out to the freezer, or take out the trash. They dot the yards and fences from the high Avenues to Draper's high benches. Everywhere we drive, the person beside me in the car is scoping out good spots for signage. A naked chain link fence on Wasatch Boulevard? Got it. A yard facing a busy intersection, facing a strip mall? It's his.

It got me thinking about the power of yard signs. Do they really work? Does anyone care? Why do the candidates care?

I called Kelly Patterson, associate professor of political science at Brigham Young University. Patterson also directs BYU's Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, which means he is in charge of those nice college students who tap you on the shoulder after you vote for exit polling.

Some voters aren't very nice to these kids. Sometimes they just walk off in a hurry, or tell them they consider their vote private and will not discuss it. That response is interesting. Some of the very people who respond that way must certainly have had lawn signs planted in their yards - a regular floodlight into their privacy.

Mostly, lawn signs help raise name recognition for obscure candidates whose names appear low on the ballot or in relatively small races, such as state Legislature or school board.

But even in bigger races, says Patterson, "research shows individuals in neighborhoods can be very influential with others during elections. Lawn signs are one method of personal contact in a complex society with multiple distractions and competition for people's attention. People look for shortcuts, for devices that simplify their choices."

A "celebrity" neighbor, he says, can use a lawn sign to send a powerful signal to the rest of the block.

I guess what this means is despite all our grandstanding in this country about our independence, we like it a lot when someone else - preferably someone with star power - makes us feel good about our candidate. You know, like if the CEO of ExxonMobil, a person you deeply respect, lives on your block and posts a sign for John Kerry (as if), you might be inclined to vote for Kerry yourself.

One yard sign strategy I like is the "hedging your bets" system. On a busy street corner in Salt Lake, two equally huge banners have been planted in the lawn strip of a high-rise apartment building - one for Jon Huntsman Jr. and one for Scott Matheson Jr. They're both such nice guys. How can you choose?

Could a sign do more harm than good? I've a friend who parks an old, rusted, but beloved Chevy Suburban in front of his home, with Kerry-Edwards signs prominently in its windows.

"What," I asked him, "it isn't enough that Kerry is persona non grata in Utah? You want to ensure absolutely no votes for the guy?"

hmullen@sltrib.com