I’m with Kemp on this one. Signs placed in the public right of way are abandoned property. What right did she have to pull the sign? Every right. She’s cleaning up litter. That she may have been selective does not bother me at all. Litter is litter.

EconomicNeocon on September 26, 2008 at 2:37 PM

No, litter is not litter.
Campaign signs, during campaign seasons are legally protected. There are special laws dealing with that, otherwise it would be a free for all. Anyone could pick a sign up and say it was “in the street” and litter. Like this girl did. She had no authority to determine what was public right of way, public domain, public easement, all of them are covered under campaign laws. If you place a sign purposely it is not abandoned, where did you ever get that idea? After the election (usually 30 days), then they become a “nuisance” and are removed at the candidates expense.
Cities have ordinances defining what is litter, and campaign signs (during the campaign season) have their own ordinances. One of them is, you cannot remove a campaign sign as a private citizen…period. Otherwise what this chick did, anyone could claim, and there would be chaos. That is what election officials are for, that is what your town or city governing bodies are for.
I hope you never park on a public area, you car would be considered litter and picked up and thrown away…

right2bright on September 26, 2008 at 3:49 PM

tell me, tell me… I wanna know if we’re betting the same horse?

Kaptain Amerika on September 26, 2008 at 4:02 PM

You could probably choose any three names and be close…it ain’t rocket science.
What I have noticed, and Cindy pointed it out. There are more and more trolls popping up. It is like a “sleeper” cell, they sign up and then wait. Then they post some little stupid thing like “I hate the liberals” and “I have never voted for a Democrat in my life”, but McCain made a mistake and I am going to have to….blah blah.
MB4 is the best at that, pretending to be a republican, but never quite supporting republican ideas…they always are just not “right”. Then when you catch him on his errors, this is his retort “you are stalking me”, which is what I told a person who still posts here that once and she went berserk. She is a good conservative, she just went way in the tank for Mitt, and I jerked her chain too many times. So I can’t fault him for using such a good tactic, since it was mine.
But I find him kind of cute in his “I hate McCain” kind of way, a little strange, but endearing as a troll.

right2bright on September 26, 2008 at 4:20 PM

right2bright,

Don’t know where you live, but where I live there is no such law protecting illegally posted signs of any sort.

Kempermanx on September 26, 2008 at 4:10 PM

NC now, but ran campaigns in Ca for years. You cannot legally take down your opponents signs, I am sure there are some rural areas that don’t have laws. The the ones with campaign laws are explicit. You may not know them, or maybe even have them. But you cannot remove your opponents signs, can’t move them, remove them, mark them, burn them, run over them, shoot them, paint them, pee on them…
Too many to link, but just google campaign sign laws.

A federal judge has struck down a state law that allowed police chiefs to remove political campaign signs from the side of public roadways at their discretion.

U.S. District Judge William E. Smith ruled that the law unconstitutionally infringed on the freedom of speech by letting police chiefs decide who can post signs, but not listing criteria chiefs should use in making that decision.

In Texas:

Signs in violation will be removed by TxDOT employees, a county sheriff, or a constable, depending upon the jurisdiction.

In Dublin in May, two candidates for Alameda County Superior Court judge were ordered to remove illegally posted signs on light poles and entrances to shopping areas.

In Richmond, public works crews have been removing illegally posted campaign signs when they see them. New signs often pop up two or three days later, Holmes said.

This is from Washington D.C., this is a new one:

108.7 Each sign, advertisement, or poster shall contain the date upon which it was Initially affixed to a street light or traffic signal.

For upinak:

FAIRBANKS — Maybe political operatives are driving around late at night, stealthily removing their enemies’ campaign signs. Maybe it’s just teenagers horsing around.

Either way, missing and vandalized campaign signs are the plight of any election campaign, and this year is no different.

Denver:

Every run-up to every election day is marked by the appropriation of our public rights-of-way by candidates who want to make or enforce our laws without abiding by one of the most basic – don’t put your campaign signs on public property.

Rhode Island (I would be wrong up there)

DiMeo told Judge Quirk that a state law allows any citizen to remove and destroy any sign posted illegally on public property.

UDOT, by state law, is given the authority and responsibility to remove, or require the removal of, any object which has been placed, constructed, or maintained within the departments right-of-way, without complying with the permitting process. UDOT has the authority to:

(a) remove the sign from the right-of-way or require the person, firm, or corporation to remove the sign.

(b) give written notice to the person, firm, or corporation to remove the sign.

If the sign is not removed within ten days after such notice is served, UDOT may remove the sign at the expense of the person, firm, or corporation. UDOT may recover the costs and expenses incurred in removing illegally placed signs; and $100 for each day the sign remained within the right-of-way after the notice was served.

Cheasapeak law:

Citizens should not remove and dispose of illegal signs in the public right-of-way.

VA

First, if signs are placed on your property by someone other than you, you have the right to remove the sign. Second, inform Neighborhood Services when you see violators placing signs along the VDOT road ways. Call us at 703-792-7018 with as much information as possible – the day of the week, time of day, location, make or model and tags of vehicle – the more you provide, the better. Your assistance may help make Prince William County the cleanest in Virginia!

That’s enough, if you read through, most do not want citizens to remove signs (Long Island is an exception), because it becomes a he said, she said type of thing. The mostly want it reported, then fines can be assessed. Which helps the city, and hurts your opponent.

right2bright on September 26, 2008 at 5:01 PM