Photo by Deb Gau Dana Moore of the Lyon County DFL and Lyon County Sheriff Eric Wallen took part in a roundtable discussion about political signs on Monday. Area DFL and GOP members say stolen signs are a common problem during election years, but Wallen said it’s a problem that seldom gets reported to law enforcement.
MARSHALL — As the November elections get closer, many Lyon County residents are displaying signs for their chosen candidates. But they’re also facing a problem — a lot of signs end up stolen or vandalized.
“We get reports all the time, and people coming back into the office saying, ‘My signs were stolen,’” said Debbie Clark, co-chairperson of the Lyon County Republicans. “It’s really been ongoing, July through August.”
Dana Moore, vice chairperson of the Lyon County DFL, said he also frequently hears from people who had political signs stolen or vandalized. “Mid-July, I was hearing on the DFL side, we had at least a dozen people who had lost their signs or had them stolen,” he said.
Officials from the Lyon County DFL and the Lyon County Republicans met with Sheriff Eric Wallen and members of local media on Monday, in a round table discussion about political sign thefts in the area. Both groups spoke out against stealing or defacing signs, but at the same time they noted that there seems to be more animosity around national politics now.
Political signs getting stolen is a problem that comes up every election cycle, Clark said. But she and other roundtable participants said they’re not sure how widespread the thefts are.
“It’s been an issue,” Wallen said. But he didn’t know exactly how many sign thefts there have been this year. “A lot of people don’t call law enforcement when their signs are vandalized or stolen.”
The cost of sign thefts can add up for candidates and political parties.
“The lawn signs on the wire stand are roughly a value of $10, and the bigger two-by-fours, that value’s roughly $20,” said Lyon County DFL chairperson Anita Gaul. “So when you’ve got a lot of signs, that’s a substantial outlay of money.” Lyon County Republicans co-chairperson Layle French said a four- by eight-foot sign costs around $40.
Not all sign theft or vandalism has a political motive, Wallen said.
“Of the ones that we have been able to capture on video, we’ve found that it’s mostly juveniles,” he said. But local party leaders said the tone around politics has gotten more intense and negative this year, especially national politics.
“I do believe it’s gotten more toxic,” Gaul said. When the county DFL holds a weekly pop-up tent on East College Drive, members get insults or middle fingers from people passing by. “I don’t remember in the past being yelled at just for having a sign up.”.
“From when I was little until now, the toxicity in the U.S. is on the increase,” French said. “We’ve eliminated God from our lives and our nation.”
“The thing is, you can’t control what other people see and hear in the media, and how they respond to it,” Clark said. But she did encourage people “To follow the law, be respectful, and be thankful we live in a country where we can express our differences of opinion legally and peacefully.”
Moore said he wanted to help promote civic responsibility through Monday’s roundtable discussion, and condemn theft and vandalism.
“Leave people’s stuff alone. Let them express their views in a positive way,” he said.
Wallen suggested that people report stolen or damaged signs.
“There’s a lot of times people have technology now, security cameras, Ring doorbells, that is very helpful in trying to track down who the culprits are,” he said. Taking steps like putting signs closer to the house might also help prevent thefts, he said. Writing your name somewhere on the sign might also help law enforcement recover it if it goes missing, he said.
In protecting against theft, he said, “You don’t want to do things that can damage other people’s property or cause harm.”
Wallen said it’s also a good idea to check city ordinances to see if there are local restrictions on where political signs can be placed.
At the state level, Minnesota statutes prohibit advertising and signs on utility poles or trees, or on private land without the owner’s consent. The Minnesota Department of Transportation doesn’t allow political signs in the state highway right of way, so those signs often get removed, Wallen said.
