LTTE: Political yard sign escalation

A Sign of the Times

Political yard signs are a mixed blessing for candidates and campaigns. If you are a candidate, you have to assume that your opponent will put up as many as possible, so you have to do the same. If you are political party representative, you get more requests than you can fill.

In the past two weeks over two hundred Romney-Ryan signs have been claimed and calls for Romney materials increased dramatically following the second Presidential debate.

Here are a couple of notes about yard signs. First, ordinances in the cities and towns of Dubois County that limited the display of yard signs to the 30 days prior to Election Day have been voided. In a court case outside this jurisdiction, local bans on political signs were ruled unconstitutional limits on political speech.

Second, yard signs should only be placed on private property with the permission of the land owner.

On behalf of all candidates, I thank those of you who put up yard signs. Some consider them a nuisance. Certainly not all reflect the way the residents are going to vote. But most signal the willingness to do something to help a candidate for public office. They are a “buy-in” to the political process. That’s important to the future of our American Republic!

By the way, if you want a sign, don’t steal one! Call GOP Headquarters at 812-630-8558.